Christian metal band DEMON HUNTER has filed a lawsuit in the Central District of California against Netflix and AEG Presents, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition over the use of the name 'KPop Demon Hunters'. The band, through its corporation Hyde Lane, filed the complaint on August 18, accusing Netflix and Netflix Studios of releasing a film titled 'KPop Demon Hunters' in 2025, which achieved significant commercial success on Netflix and through its soundtrack and merchandise. DEMON HUNTER claims the film and its associated tour, scheduled for 2027 and set to include 150 cities, create a substantial likelihood of confusion with the band's established DEMON HUNTER mark, leading consumers to believe the companies are affiliated or connected.

The lawsuit states that the similarity between 'KPop Demon Hunters' and DEMON HUNTER results in actual consumer confusion, with the defendants leveraging their greater reach to eclipse the band's brand identity and misappropriate its source-identifying significance. DEMON HUNTER, formed in 2002 and known for a dozen studio albums and Billboard 200-charting releases, asserts it is the senior user of the DEMON HUNTER mark and has invested decades in building goodwill around the name. The band is seeking a court order to halt the use of the 'KPop Demon Hunters' name for any recorded music, live events, or merchandise, as well as unspecified damages.

The film 'KPop Demon Hunters', directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, premiered in late June 2025 and became Netflix's most popular English-language film. Its soundtrack received five Grammy nominations, and the song 'Golden' won the Oscar for 'Best Original Song' at the 98th Academy Awards. DEMON HUNTER released its twelfth studio album, 'There Was A Light Here', in September 2024 via its Weapons MFG label, produced by frontman Ryan Clark and guitarist Jeremiah Scott.