Entertainment

Satanists and Warner Bros ‘amicably’ settle £38m Sabrina lawsuit

The dispute centred around the depiction of a goat-headed deity.
The dispute centred around the depiction of a goat-headed deity. The dispute centred around the depiction of a goat-headed deity.

A group of Satanists who sued Netflix and Warner Bros for 50 million US dollars (£38 million) in a copyright row over the Sabrina television show have “amicably” settled the lawsuit.

The Satanic Temple claimed the entertainment giants copied its depiction of goat-headed deity Baphomet in The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina.

An icon similar to the group’s appears in four episodes of the supernatural drama, it alleged.

Kiernan Shipka
Kiernan Shipka Kiernan Shipka stars as Sabrina in Netflix’s reimagining of the comic book series (PA)

On Wednesday, the group revealed they had settled the lawsuit and said the details will remain confidential.

In a statement, they said: “The Satanic Temple is pleased to announce that the lawsuit it recently filed against Warner Bros. and Netflix has been amicably settled.

“The unique elements of the Satanic Temple’s Baphomet statue have been acknowledged in the credits of episodes which have already been filmed.

“The remaining terms of the settlement are subject to a confidentiality agreement.”

The Satanic Temple’s founder, Lucien Greaves, added on Twitter: “So ends one of the most overpublicized of copyright claims.”

Warner Bros did not release further details of the settlement.

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina is a supernatural drama programme starring US actress Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman, a half-mortal half-witch who is torn between her two identities.

It is based of the same comic book series which spawned Sabrina The Teenage Witch, starring Melissa Joan Hart and ran from 1996-2003.

The Satanic Temple says it does not worship Satan but instead works to “encourage benevolence and empathy among all people”.