The Satanic Temple Settles Copyright Lawsuit with Netflix for Use of Goat-Head Deity

What do a Satanic Temple and a teenage witch have in common? Well, it just so happens to be one juicy and extremely publicized lawsuit. Take a look at the case revolving around the Chilling Adventures with Sabrina and the Satanic Temple in the gallery below, then let us know your thoughts on the drama in the comments section on Facebook. 

In 1962, Sabrina Spellman was first introduced into the Archie Comics series in Archie’s Mad House #22, as a friend of Archie Andrews and the rest of the Riverdale gang. In the comics, Spellman is a half-witch who resides in Greendale with her two aunts, Hilda and Zelda, as well as their Salem, a witch who has been punished into possessing the body of a black cat. From 1971 through 1983, Sabrina the Teenage Witch was published as it’s own comic book series and ran for 77 issues within the first volume. In 1996, Spellman earned a live-action television reboot and was brought to life by actress Melissa Joan Hart, who played the character for seven seasons and adapted the role for three television movies. 

Many fans were disappointed with the series ended in 2003, however, they were given hope when The CW adapted Archie’s entire gang for 2017’s Riverdale. Riverdale is a darker approach to the classic comic book series, focusing largely on themes of mystery and murder. The series was quickly beloved by fans, however, it left many wondering whether Sabrina would eventually join the cast.

Well, in October of 2018, Riverdale producer and comic book writer Roberto Aguirre- Sacasa brought Spellman back to television through Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Like Riverdale, this version of Spellman’s story is far more sinister and delves into the world of dark magic. However, since the show was released to the world, it’s gained an extremely public lawsuit with a very unsuspecting group.

After it was made known that the series had recreated a famous statue of Baphomet to resemble the Dark Lord, the Satanic Temple was quick to fire back at Netflix with a copyright case. The statue in question is a 2013 recreation of an 1856 drawing by Éliphas Lévi. The drawing featured a goat-headed deity, later referred to as Baphomet, who is flanked by two human children. This statue previously gained international recognition after it was petitioned to be featured alongside a Ten Commandments monument outside of Oklahoma’s Supreme Courthouse in 2015. The statue now resides at the Temple’s headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts and is a popular tourist destination.

The Satanic Temple filed a lawsuit against Netflix on November 9th in Manhattan’s Federal  District Court—asking the massive media company for at least $50 million for copyright infringement as well as injury to the Temple’s reputation. However, it was recently announced by the Temple’s co-founder, Lucien Greaves, that they’d settled the suit amicably. Neither Greaves, his legal team, nor Netflix has announced whether the Temple received any money from the suit or if the show will continue to feature imagery in likely to the famed Baphomet statue.

What do you think of this unusual case? Are you a fan of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina? Are you dying for a Riverdale/ Sabrina crossover episode? Let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments section on Facebook.