Satanists take on Netflix over ‘Sabrina’ monument
A US group called The Satanic Temple has accused Netflix of infringing its copyright in a sculpture depicting Baphomet, a false God associated with Satanism and the occult.
Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the religious and political group, tweeted on Sunday, October 28, that The Satanic Temple had written to Netflix over a monument that appears in newly-released TV series “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”.
An adaptation of “Sabrina and the Teenage Witch”, the horror show centres on protagonist Sabrina Spellman, a half-witch, half-mortal, and features a monument of Baphomet, a horned deity with a human body.
The Satanic Temple claims that the Netflix show’s sculpture appropriates its copyright-protected monument of Baphomet. Both sculptures include two children looking up at the deity, which is pointing two fingers upwards.
In 2015, the group unveiled its 2.7 metre bronze sculpture depicting Baphomet in Detroit, Michigan.
On Twitter, Greaves said the group’s design had been directly replicated on the show, adding that “the children, who were entirely unaltered in the Sabrina version, were based upon real children”.
He confirmed to the San Francisco Chronicle that the group's lawyer has sent a letter to Netflix regarding the depiction of the statue.
“It's deeply problematic to us," Greaves told the news outlet. He said “even if that wasn’t the case, we’d be obligated to make a copyright claim because that's how copyright works”.
“It’s distressing on the grounds that you have to worry about that association being made where people will see your monument and not know which preceded the other,” he added.
This is not the first time Netflix has been involved in a horror-related IP case.
Back in September 2017, WIPR reported that the company had sent a themed cease-and-desist letter to an unauthorised “Stranger Things” bar in view of the company’s rights to the science-fiction series.
Netflix wrote the letter in the style of the “Stranger Things” universe, including lines such as “unless I’m living in the Upside Down, I don’t think we did a deal with you for this pop-up”.
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