Tribune: Church rebrand may undermine trademark case against Mormon Stories
August 21, 2026 at 7:07 AM MT ยท via The Salt Lake Tribune ยท Summarized by Mormon News from original reporting

The Salt Lake Tribune examines how the LDS Church's 2018 directive to stop using "Mormon" as shorthand may complicate its current trademark lawsuit against John Dehlin's "Mormon Stories" podcast. The analysis explores whether the church can credibly claim trademark confusion over a term it has publicly distanced itself from.
The church filed suit earlier this year alleging Dehlin's use of "Mormon Stories" causes confusion about whether the podcast is church-affiliated. Legal observers note the tension between that claim and President Nelson's sustained campaign to retire "Mormon" from common usage.
The Tribune's piece walks through trademark law's "likelihood of confusion" test and questions whether a reasonable person would mistake an independent podcast for official church material when the church itself no longer uses the contested term in its own branding.
More coverage of this story
- YouTube / Mormon Stories Podcast โยทEpisode page & transcript โAugust 11, 2026 at 12:00 PM MT
- YouTube / Mormon Stories Podcast โAugust 13, 2026 at 9:08 AM MT
- The Salt Lake Tribune โAugust 18, 2026 at 6:02 AM MT
- ABC4 Utah โAugust 20, 2026 at 3:35 PM MT
- Deseret News โAugust 20, 2026 at 5:08 PM MT
- The Salt Lake Tribune โAugust 20, 2026 at 5:47 PM MT
- KUTV 2 โAugust 20, 2026 at 3:57 PM MT
- ABC4 Utah โAugust 20, 2026 at 3:35 PM MT
- FOX 13 Salt Lake City โAugust 20, 2026 at 5:17 PM MT
- Gephardt Daily โAugust 20, 2026 at 10:52 PM MT
- The Salt Lake Tribune โAugust 20, 2026 at 5:51 PM MT
- The Salt Lake Tribune โAugust 21, 2026 at 6:00 AM MT
- KSL โAugust 20, 2026 at 12:29 PM MT
- The Salt Lake Tribune โAugust 12, 2026 at 1:00 AM MT
- YouTube / Mormonish Podcast โAugust 21, 2026 at 8:33 AM MT
Mormon News summarizes reporting from established outlets and always links to the original. See an error? Report it.
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