Netflix threatened with a trial by the satanic temple

Netflix may soon be subject to prosecution by the Satanic Temple, a religious group claiming that its copyright-protected design of the deity Baphomet has been used without permission in the country. The chilling adventures of Sabrina.

In Sabrina-the scary version of the newly released online streaming service Sabrina the teenage witchthe statue of a large goat head figure appears as Satan in a handful of episodes. A statue of this figure accompanied by two children appears in the center of Sabrina's School of Sorcery, the Academy of Invisible Arts.

According to Lucien Greaves, co-founder and spokesman of the satanic temple, this statue appropriated the monument protected by the copyright of the religion. He tweeted the group's intention to sue on Sunday.

Greaves also shared a side-by-side comparison of the satanic temple statue and the Netflix statue Sabrina, showing the almost identical resemblance.

He then defended the decision to sue Netflix in another tweet, implying that Netflix's use of the statue was promoting false stereotypes about the satanic temple.

Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In The icy adventures of Sabrina, the goat deity appears as a powerful and imposing figure who asks the witches to sign their allegiance to him, the Dark Lord, in exchange for their magical powers. It also requires them to do what they need and to follow the practices of the Church of the night, which includes rites of human sacrifice.

In a statement to CNN, the satanic temple legal counsel then explained the motive for the lawsuit, adding that this representation of Baphomet was "totally antithetical" to what religion represents.

"The reason for this request is that this particular imagery is unique compared to any other likeness of Baphomet. It was created by the Satanic Temple to represent its unique interests, including empathy, physical autonomy, and individual liberties, "CNN Stuart de Haan, the temple's legal advisor, wrote to CNN.

"The way it is described in Sabrina is completely antithetical to what the Temple represents, "he continued. "It was an image protected by copyright and no media has ever granted or requested permission. It is undeniable that these images were taken directly from the satanic temple rather than from other sources. "

The website of the Satanic Temple states that its mission is "to encourage benevolence and empathy among all peoples, to reject tyrannical authority, to defend common sense and justice, and to be guided by the human conscience by noble pursuits guided by the individual will "

Religion does not favor belief in superstition, but focuses on scientific understanding and reason. According to the group's website, Satan is a symbolic figure, "an icon for the unqualified unconditional willingness of the investigator".