The Satanic Temple claims the show’s statue design is an appropriation of proprietary material, as they recently unveiled their own 9-foot statue of Baphomet. But the Temple’s gripe goes beyond copyright infringement; Satanic Temple Co-Founder Lucien Greaves feels the use of the Baphomet statue in Sabrina maligns the true nature of Satanism, calling the show “asinine Satanic Panic fiction.”
Now, Deadline is reporting the Satanists have made good on their threat to sue, and they’re seeking a whopping $50M!
According to Deadline:
“This case presents, among other things, a textbook example of the hornbook explanation of copyright protection that copyright law protects unique expressions, but not the ideas themselves,” lawyer Bruce Lederman wrote on behalf of the temple in a complaint filed in federal court this morning (read it here). “What makes this case particularly striking and significant is that it arises in the context of Defendants who are highly sophisticated media production and distribution companies which blatantly misappropriated Plaintiff’s unique expression of an idea even though they have a long history of vigorously protecting their own intellectual property,” the much threatening jury-seeking paperwork adds.
As opposed to the witches and warlocks in Sabrina, Satanists don’t actually worship the Devil. According to the FAQ section on the Temple’s website they believe in “Seven Tenets”:
When asked for a comment, Netflix directed reporters to Warner Bros. who also declined to weigh in. We’ll keep our eyes on this litigious situation as it unfolds. In the meantime, peep the synopsis and trailer for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina below.
Synopsis:
This adaptation of the “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” tale is a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror and the occult. In the reimagined origin story, Sabrina Spellman wrestles to reconcile her dual nature — half-witch, half-mortal — while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family — including aunts Hilda and Zelda — and the daylight world humans inhabit. Kiernan Shipka (“Mad Men”) leads the cast in the titular role of the show that is based on a comic series of the same name.
Have you been watching Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix? What do you think of The Satanic Temple’s complaints regarding the Baphomet statue at The School for Unseen Arts? Sound off in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!