Key Takeaway: A recently filed trademark lawsuit between Netflix and the metal band Demon Hunter highlights the unique challenges of proving reverse confusion. Because such claims are relatively uncommon and courts often closely examine what a junior user knew about a senior user’s rights during the branding process, Netflix’s trademark clearance and brand-development efforts may become just as important as similarities between the marks themselves.
Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters franchise has yet another chapter to its story – except this time, the chapter is being written by attorneys representing the American Christian metal band “Demon Hunters.”
Hyde Lane, the corporate entity behind the metal band Demon Hunter, sued Netflix in the Central District of California for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition based on Netflix’s use of the mark KPop Demon Hunters.
Unlike a typical trademark dispute, the complaint centers on a theory of reverse confusion. Reverse confusion is based on a claim that a newer, or junior, user’s overwhelming commercial success causes consumers to believe the senior user is affiliated with, sponsored by, or derived from the junior user.
According to the complaint, Netflix’s global success has effectively eclipsed Demon Hunter’s longstanding brand identity and goodwill.
Demon Hunter has used the DEMON HUNTER mark since 2000 and owns federal trademark registrations covering recorded music, merchandise, and related goods. The band alleges that it has sold more than one million albums, performed hundreds of concerts, and developed substantial goodwill over the past 25 years. By contrast, Netflix’s use of KPOP DEMON HUNTERS began in 2025 with the release of its animated film, which quickly became Netflix’s most-streamed movie of the year. The franchise has since earned several awards, including Oscars, Grammys, and Golden Globes, and is rapidly expanding through soundtrack albums, merchandise, and a planned global concert tour spanning approximately 150 cities.
Like traditional trademark cases, the central inquiry is whether KPOP DEMON HUNTERS is likely to cause consumer confusion with DEMON HUNTER. The complaint points to alleged evidence of actual confusion, including a consumer who reportedly purchased nearly $500 in Demon Hunter concert tickets believing the band was associated with KPop Demon Hunters, a media inquiry seeking an interview with a songwriter for KPop Demon Hunters that was sent to Demon Hunter’s manager, and social media posts using the hashtag #demonhunter in connection with KPop Demon Hunters.
Reverse confusion claims, however, are relatively uncommon and can be difficult to establish. One challenge in reverse confusion cases is that the senior user must establish protectable trademark rights while simultaneously arguing that the junior user’s commercial presence has eclipsed its own. Courts evaluating reverse confusion claims may also scrutinize what the junior user knew, or reasonably should have known, about the senior user’s rights before adopting the challenged mark. As a result, Netflix’s trademark clearance process, internal discussions on branding, and responses to any identified trademark risks may become central to the case.
For Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters, that means the next chapter may depend less on demons and more on Netflix’s brand protection and risk assessment strategy.
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