Intellectual Reserve
Encyclopedia
Intellectual Reserve, Inc (abbreviated IRI) is a non-profit corporation based in Salt Lake City, Utah
, USA. It is wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It holds the church's intellectual property
, including copyright
s, and trademark
s.
IRI owns over 60 trademarks associated with the Church.
In the United States, in 2002, the LDS Church applied for a trademark on "Mormon" as applied to religious services; however, the United States Patent and Trademark Office
rejected the application, stating that the term "Mormon" was too generic, and is popularly understood as referring to a particular kind of church, similar to "Presbyterian" or "Methodist", rather than a service mark. The application was abandoned as of August 22, 2007.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, USA. It is wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It holds the church's intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, including copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
s, and trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s.
IRI owns over 60 trademarks associated with the Church.
Mormon as a trademark
In some countries, "Mormon" and some phrases including the term are registered trademarks owned by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.In the United States, in 2002, the LDS Church applied for a trademark on "Mormon" as applied to religious services; however, the United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
rejected the application, stating that the term "Mormon" was too generic, and is popularly understood as referring to a particular kind of church, similar to "Presbyterian" or "Methodist", rather than a service mark. The application was abandoned as of August 22, 2007.
See also
- Deseret Management CorporationDeseret Management CorporationThe Deseret Management Corporation is a for-profit management company of assets for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was established in 1966 by then church president David O...
- Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse MinistryIntellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse MinistryIntellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry was a United States district court decision on the subject of deep linking and contributory infringement of copyright.- Background :...
- Mormon trademark