Netflix’s animated feature KPop Demon Hunters has achieved significant acclaim, shattering streaming records and earning honors for both the film and its accompanying soundtrack.
KPop Demon Hunters is now a cultural sensation. Nonetheless, those trying to find it online may anticipate arriving at KPopDemonHunters.com. Unexpectedly, that web address leads to nowhere.
This is because Netflix did not originally possess the domain KPopDemonHunters.com. It was registered three days following the film’s debut on June 20, 2025, by an individual in Germany. Did Netflix misjudge the film’s prospective popularity?
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How Netflix obtained the KPop Demon Hunters domain
Netflix has recently acquired the KPopDemonHunters.com domain from the German registrant, Sanchit Sood, by initiating a trademark dispute, as cited by Domain Name Wire.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the worldwide domain name system. According to ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), disputes regarding domain names can be lodged.
In a UDRP situation, the complainant must prove that the domain name is confusingly akin to their trademark, that the registrant has no legitimate interest, and that the registration was conducted in bad faith. The registrant has the opportunity to defend their position before an arbitration panel, which then delivers a verdict.
Trademark holders do not always succeed in these matters. Registrants may possess legitimate grounds for owning a domain, especially if the trademark is deemed generic. Even with a distinctive name like KPop Demon Hunters, a registrant could assert fair use for purposes like fan pages or critique (although panels may still favor the trademark proprietor).
In this case, the registrant did not reply to the UDRP dispute, leaving the WIPO panelist with just Netflix’s defense. Given the domain did not link to an actual website, it seemed to be a clear instance of cybersquatting. The panelist decided in favor of Netflix, and the domain registrar will transfer KPopDemonHunters.com to Netflix.
As a result, the trademark dispute concerning KPopDemonHunters.com is concluded.