Christian metal band Demon Hunter has sued Netflix over its hit animated film KPop Demon Hunters, alleging trademark infringement and consumer confusion.

The US band, which has been making music and touring for 25 years, said Netflix’s plans for a global concert tour, alongside the film and related merchandise, create “almost complete overlap” with its own offerings.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday by the band’s company, Hyde Lane, names Netflix Studios and live entertainment promoter AEG Presents as defendants. The complaint alleges that the companies have caused “substantial confusion” among consumers.

As evidence, the band cited an email from a person who reportedly spent $500 on tickets to a Demon Hunter concert in New York, believing it was a child-friendly K-pop event suitable for their young children.

The lawsuit also cited a television producer who allegedly contacted the band’s management believing Demon Hunter was connected to KPop Demon Hunters, as well as social media users who mistakenly tagged the band while discussing the film.

The five-member Seattle group, described by AllMusic as playing “aggressive yet emotionally stirring heavy metal,” released its 12th album in September 2025 and has about 350,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

By comparison, the cast of KPop Demon Hunters has about 27 million monthly listeners on the streaming platform.

The legal complaint said, “The brand that Hyde Lane has carefully built over the course of the past quarter century now faces an existential crisis, thereby necessitating the filing of this action and the granting of the requested relief from this Court.”

The metal band is asking the court to prevent Netflix from using the KPop Demon Hunters name for recorded music, live performances and merchandise. It is also seeking unspecified damages.

Demon Hunter’s company registered “Demon Hunter” as a trademark for recorded music and merchandise in 2022. The band has also filed an application to trademark the name for live music performances.