The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a lawsuit against John Dehlin, an excommunicated sixth-generation member, over his podcast's name and branding.
The legal action aims to prevent Dehlin from naming his podcast Mormon Stories and using imagery that allegedly mimics copyrighted church materials.
The church argues that Dehlin intends to capitalize on and increase public confusion.
This lawsuit continues the church's efforts to move away from the nicknames Mormon and Mormonism.
In 2019, the institution officially halted the use of the term Mormon to describe itself or its followers.
Church leader Russell M. Nelson stated that continuing to use the title would be a major victory for Satan.
“We’re not changing names. We’re correcting a name,” Nelson added.
The directive led to extensive rebranding, including renaming the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
Copyright Claims and Public Domain Arguments
The current legal dispute targets four separate podcasters, including Dehlin.
The church claims it retains control over the word due to its historic use and long-standing association.
Patrick Mason at Claremont University, who specializes in Latter-day Saint studies, noted the lawsuit is an extension of church policies to emphasize the move away from Mormon nicknames.
“The church leadership and membership really want to emphasize the church’s Christian bona fides,” Mason explained.
Legal documents accuse Dehlin and his organization of intentionally displaying copyrighted imagery.
The church filed the suit after alleging Dehlin refused to implement sufficient changes to resolve public confusion, even after altering his logo's colors and light rays.
Mason noted the timing of the litigation remains unusual, given the podcast name had not been an overt issue for years.
Dehlin and his organization filed a legal response refusing to back down.
The podcaster accused the institution of weaponizing intellectual property laws to suppress his platform.
“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 stated.
Dehlin was excommunicated in 2015 for disputing church doctrines regarding the divinity of Jesus Christ and labeling sacred books as fictional works.
The counter-claim argues that the word belongs to the general public and over 400 separate sects tracing their history to founder Joseph Smith.
“No single church owns the rights to the words Christian, Catholic, Jewish, or Muslim,” Dehlin's response stated.
