The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is suing a podcast because it uses the name “Mormon” in its title.
“Mormon Stories” is a popular podcast that delves into the history of the church and describes itself as offering a place for Mormons “grappling with untold stories and deep struggles as they [learn] hard truths about their religion.”
Now, it is being accused of infringing on the church’s intellectual property rights.
In a lawsuit filed last week, the church accused the podcast of using copyrighted images and of adopting church branding into its logo. The filing argues that people might mistakenly believe that the podcast “comes from or is affiliated with or endorsed by the church.”
The claim includes screenshots of internet users who left comments saying they had mistakenly assumed the podcast was a church-produced show.
That’s a problem for the church, as the podcast regularly critiques the faith. In 2015, the podcast’s host, John Dehlin, was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for apostasy.
Church leaders issued a statement saying the lawsuit has nothing to do with the podcast’s content.
“The issue is not the podcast’s viewpoint. It is the use of Church-protected names, images, and design elements in ways that are causing confusion about whether the content is official or affiliated with the Church,” the statement says.
Dehlin told Axios he believes that the fact that the church not only excommunicated him but also issued a public statement explaining why it was doing so should make it clear to any listeners that his show is not affiliated with the church.
He also told the outlet that he has changed the show’s logo, removed any church-related images from his video thumbnails, and posted disclaimers on its various accounts and platforms, noting that it is not affiliated with the church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has become more aggressive in its policing of the term “Mormon” in recent months. It has asked at least three other podcasts to remove the name “Mormon” from their names or withdraw trademark applications for their podcast names in recent months, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
The host of the “Mormon News Roundup,” another show discussing the faith, said in a video that he was asked to remove the word from his show’s title, but points out that the church has been encouraging people not to use the word “Mormon” when describing members of the faith.
The church made major efforts to move away from the word in 2018. It renamed the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir— now called the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square—and removed the word from its promotional materials and websites.
Russell Nelson, the former President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said using anything other than the church’s formal name was a “victory for Satan,” according to the Associated Press.
Despite the move away from the name, the word “Mormon” is still an inextricable part of the faith, as its holy text is titled the “Book of Mormon.”
The church said in its statement that it proposed a way for shows using the church’s trademarks to make clear they are not affiliated, but claims that the suggestion was “not adopted.”
“To address that, the Church proposed a simple solution: a brief disclaimer that the podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” the church wrote. “This is a common and straightforward way to help audiences understand the source of content. That step was not adopted.”
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