Another PR Nightmare For The Church: Karma Comes For Dallas Oaks

[drumdude]

The Church will have to renew the "Mormon" trademark in the 2026 to 2027 window.

When that time comes, they must prove that they still use the word “Mormon” in active commerce. USPTO rules are clear on this point. A trademark only survives if the owner can show that it is still printed on actual goods or services that are still being sold or distributed. The official guidelines spell it out at uspto.gov under “Keeping your registration alive.”

Here is the tension. For years the Church has tried to distance itself from the word. Leaders asked members to stop using Mormon as a label. The Church rebranded its websites. It retired the phrase Mormon Messages. It scrubbed the word from manuals. The public campaign insisted that Mormon was inaccurate, misleading, and spiritually harmful.

In daily speech, materials, and media, the Church’s official line is that it does not want to be known as Mormon. But in the legal arena, the institution now argues that use of the word by others violates its trademark rights.

The problem is that trademark law rewards consistent use. The USPTO requires renewal evidence in specific windows. Owners must file a Section 8 declaration between years 9 and 10 and again every 10 years after that. That filing must include a specimen, which is a real example of the mark as it appears on goods or services today. If they cannot show use at all, the registration is cancelled.

https://www.luciferslantern.com/2025/12 ... e.html?m=1

[Rivendale]

Slate has joined in the PR nightmare for the church.https://slate.com/life/2026/05/Mormon-s ... =copy_link For some reason this link will not show the article. I have tried to copy it directly and still get the 404 message. Goto Slate and the faith section and it is the first article.

[MsJack]

Slate has joined in the PR nightmare for the church.https://slate.com/life/2026/05/Mormon-s ... =copy_link For some reason this link will not show the article. I have tried to copy it directly and still get the 404 message. Goto Slate and the faith section and it is the first article.

https://tinyurl.com/3wyd72sn