The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a lawsuit against John Dehlin, an excommunicated sixth-generation member, to prevent him from using the term 'Mormon' for his podcast 'Mormon Stories'. The church argues that Dehlin's branding mimics its copyrighted imagery, creating confusion among the public.
Background of the Name Change
In 2019, the church's leader, then-President Russell M. Nelson, announced that the Lord had commanded the church to drop the nickname 'Mormon'. He stated that using the term would be 'a major victory for Satan'. The church rebranded its choir from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square and discontinued its 'I'm a Mormon' advertising campaign. However, the church continues to hold trademark registrations for the word 'Mormon'.
The Lawsuit's Details
Filed in April, the lawsuit accuses Dehlin of 'intentionally and willfully' displaying copyright imagery, including a logo similar to the church's. Despite Dehlin agreeing to alter the imagery—removing light rays and changing the font color from navy blue to orange—the church claims the changes were insufficient to address confusion. The church seeks to prevent Dehlin from using 'Mormon' in his podcast name and branding.
Expert Analysis
Patrick Mason, a scholar of Latter-day Saint studies at Claremont University, notes that the lawsuit aligns with the church's effort to emphasize its Christian identity. 'The church leadership really wants to emphasize the church's Christian bona fides,' he said. 'The full name points to that in a way that Mormon does not.' Mason also questions the timing, noting that Dehlin's podcast has been critical of the church for years without prior legal action over the name.
Dehlin's Response
In a legal response, Dehlin accused the church of weaponizing trademark laws to silence criticism. He stated, 'The LDS church does not own the word “Mormon,” and it should not be allowed to use intellectual property law to control how people discuss Mormon culture, history, doctrine, or lived experience.' Dehlin's counter-claim argues that the term 'Mormon' belongs to the public, citing over 400 different Mormon sects nationwide.
Broader Implications
The case raises First Amendment concerns, as Dehlin argues that no single church owns the rights to terms like Christian, Catholic, or Muslim. The church's effort to shift away from 'Mormon' is not new; similar attempts occurred in 1982, 2001, and 2011. However, the term remains widely used, partly due to media portrayals of fundamentalist groups practicing polygamy. Mason explains, 'The church wants to distinguish itself from those groups, and emphasizing the full name is one way to do that.'
