Alright, so this story has hit the press. The LDS Church is throwing its weight around again trying to gain exclusive use of the term "Mormon."
The Trib references the 2016 instance I wrote about in Helfer's memoir. (It is not yet available, but publishing talks are underway!) Wherein the EFF got involved and wrote the letter (linked below), which, up till now, established a de facto precedent because the LDS Church did not respond with litigation. (IANAL, so probably misused the legal jargon.)
Suddenly, they're trying again! Not against the Mormon Mental Health Association, but against a handful of podcasts.
But the @eff is on the case!
Funnily enough, *after* the EFF sent them the 2016 letter is when suddenly the Church issued and edict against LDS members using the term "Mormon," calling such usage "a victory for Satan," as dictated from the pulpit by God's very own prophet, Russel M. Nelson.™ Which makes it a clear case of trademark abandonment, according to EFF lawyer Cara Gagliano.
But now that Nelson is dead, God has changed his mind, so they're pressing the issue against LDS-critical podcasts, like Mormon Stories. (I did a 5-part series on that show.)
I suspect that the hard-right direction of American politics has emboldened them. Maybe they think judges will side with them. Given that the LDS Church owns most of the government in Utah, this could honestly go either way.
Or maybe it's just that the word "Mormon" was Nelson's personal pet peeve, and now that he's conveniently out of the way, they want to take it back. But only if they can claim exclusivity.
https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2025/12/08/lds-church-pressures-mormon/