Mormon Church Invokes Copyright Against “Mormon Match” Dating Site

In an effort to shut down fledgling dating website Mormon Match, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has said the site’s use of the term “Mormon” violates its intellectual property. Intellectual Reserve Inc., the holding company for the church, holds many trademarks that include the term “Mormon,” but in an amicus brief submitted to a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board the Electronic Frontier Foundation wrote, “IRI cannot restrict Eller from using the word ‘Mormon’ to describe his Mormon matching service as ‘Mormon Match,’ any more than Burger King® could prevent In-n-Out Burger® from including the term ‘burger’ in its name.” A hearing has been set for August 8 before U.S. District Judge Sim Lake of the Southern District of Texas.