‘Mormon belongs to the public’: Podcaster files response in LDS Church trademark infringement lawsuit

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — After being sued by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for alleged trademark infringement, the ‘Mormon Stories’ Podcast has filed a response, claiming that the Church has abandoned the trademark ‘Mormon’, despite their representations to the U.S Patent and Trademark Office.

Mormon Stories is a podcast that focuses on the lived experiences of current and former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to their website.

READ MORE | LDS Church sues ‘Mormon Stories’ podcast, alleges trademark infringement

On Monday, owner John Dehlin and the Mormon Stories parent organization, Open Stories Foundation, filed their response to a lawsuit by the Church alleging copyright infringement in the podcast.

They also claimed that the Church had misrepresented their usage of ‘Mormon’ when trademarking it.

Ultimately, the defendants also argue that no entity has the right to control the use of ‘Mormon’, because it has been used by millions of people with diverse backgrounds and numerous religious sects.

The new filing states, “‘Mormon’ belongs to the public.”

Initial Lawsuit

The initial lawsuit, filed in April 2026, claimed that the ‘Mormon Stories’ podcast used branding overly similar to the Church’s trademarked logos.

The Church claimed that they had used the name Mormon since its founding nearly 200 years ago and that Dehlin’s podcast branding caused the public to believe it is associated with or endorsed by the church.

Some of Dehlin’s branding reportedly copied trademarked logos, including a light rays design, and similar fonts and colors.

According to the lawsuit, the Church had reached out to Dehlin about the supposed infringement and that he agreed to make changes but did not do so. The Church alleges he refused to include statements in the podcast to clarify that the podcast is not associated with the Church.

Logo debate

According to the defendants’ most recent filing, the Church first represented to the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) that they would use “Book of Mormon Stories” in connection with podcasts on November 1, 2010.

The Church also reportedly testified, under oath, that there were no names similar that would create confusion with their podcast name. However, Dehlin had reportedly started using the name Mormon Stories for his podcast years prior.

The Defendants also claim that Mormon Stories used a light ray design feature years before the Church began to use it and call it a “Light Ray Design”.

In the response, the defendants admitted that they use certain images that relate to the history and teachings of the Church, and, in December 2022, used a blue logo.

However, they claim that they started using an orange logo in November 2025 after discussions with the Church and say any photos used, “are offered by the Church for free download to be used for media purposes.”

Furthermore, they note that the color blue is used by other religious organizations, including the Church of Scientology, Jehovah’s witnesses, and Seventh Day Adventists. They also state that light rays is used frequently in basic online designs, including Microsoft’s PowerPoint application.

Additionally, the defendants noted that they responded to the Church’s concerns over their logo-usage, which had been used for several years, within 24 hours of being made aware of it. They also state they cooperated in ‘good faith’ and have disclaimers on their website and podcast descriptions.

The defendants did not agree to read the disclaimer audibly, “finding it unusual, unnecessary, and not wanting to effectively have a disclaimer become the podcast’s brand after twenty years of developing the MORMON STORIES brand identity.”

The lawsuit continues, “Plaintiffs unreasonably delayed for two decades in asserting their claims for trademark infringement against Defendants’ use of MORMON STORIES as the title for their 20-year-old podcast, and Defendants have been materially prejudiced by Plaintiffs’ inexcusable delay.”

False representations

Another issue that the defendants’ response arose was the Church’s supposed abandonment of the term ‘Mormon’, despite their representation to USPTO. The Church announced that it was moving away from the name ‘Mormon’ in 2018, though they stated in their lawsuit that the public still associates the word with their brand.

The defendants claim that, following the 2018 decision, the Church has repeatedly associated the word ‘Mormon’ with a “major victory for Satan” and that “the public has come to view any use of “Mormon” in the branding of goods or service to be a definitive signal that such goods or services are not provided by, affiliated with, or sponsored by the Church.”

RELATED | LDS Church discourages use of ‘Mormons’ in new name guidelines

Additionally, the defendants state the Church has privately trademarked the word ‘Mormon’, while publicly moving away from it.

“The Church deliberately withheld the news of its express and intentional abandonment of “Mormon” as a mark from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”),” the lawsuit alleges.

According to the defendants, the Church has also publicly referred to their choir as the Tabernacle at Temple Square since 2018. However, the Church reportedly declared to the USPTO that they still used the trademarked ‘Mormon Tabernacle Choir’ in 2024.

The defendants claim that the Church also altered their media and programs for public events so it appeared that they still used the Mormon Tabernacle Choir trademark.

Based on this, the defendants are claiming that the Church filed fraudulent claims to the USPTO, altering media to make it seem as though they used trademarks that they publicly abandoned.

They also claim that, in the Church’s initial lawsuit, the Church made several false representations about Mormon Stories actions, claiming that they failed to adopt any disclaimer, though they adopted all but a verbal disclaimer.

Additionally, the Church referenced several online comments from the Church, claiming they were posted on the Mormon Stories social media pages. However, the defendants state the comments were made “in response to videos from supporters of the Church discussing and celebrating the Church’s current trademark enforcement efforts against Defendants.”

Only six of the 33 referenced comments reportedly came from the Mormon Stories social medias, which the defendants say shows that their branding does not cause the alleged confusion and shows the Church’s deceptive practices.

Dehlin and Mormon Stories reportedly faced threats due to the Church’s reported misrepresentations.

ABC4.com reached out to the Church for a statement. While they do not have a response to this new filing, they did refer us to their previous press release over the dispute.