WP Engine has filed a federal lawsuit against Automattic and its CEO, Matt Mullenweg, following a heated public dispute over the WordPress trademark and open-source project.
WP Engine, a hosting provider serving more than 200,000 websites, accuses Mullenweg and Automattic of libel, extortion, and slander. The conflict escalated after Mullenweg referred to WP Engine as a “cancer to WordPress” in a blog post. This prompted WP Engine to issue a cease-and-desist letter, demanding that the statement be retracted.
Automattic, which runs WordPress.com, responded by accusing WP Engine of infringing on the WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks. The company demanded a substantial royalty payment, amounting to eight percent of WP Engine’s monthly revenue, for continued use of the WordPress name. WP Engine rejected these claims and argued that its use of WordPress fell under the fair use doctrine, citing the open-source nature of the software.
The lawsuit outlines 11 grievances, including accusations of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and making false statements to the IRS about the ownership of the WordPress trademark. WP Engine claims these actions are harmful to both the company and the broader WordPress community.
In a further escalation, Automattic has now banned WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources, a key platform for plugins, themes, and other tools essential to maintaining WordPress websites. Mullenweg stated that WP Engine lacks a trademark license and should not benefit from the WordPress.org infrastructure for free, given the ongoing legal dispute. This means that WP Engine customers no longer have direct access to these core resources, potentially disrupting their experience.
Mullenweg’s comments did not stop there. He criticized WP Engine’s business model, saying the company profits from WordPress while contributing little to the community. He described WP Engine’s version of WordPress as a “bastardized simulacra” of the original open-source code.
The fight between Automattic and WP Engine has created uncertainty for WordPress users, many of whom rely on these companies for hosting and platform support. As the legal and personal battle continues, both companies remain firm in their positions, leaving the future of this conflict unresolved.
Featured Image courtesy of Stephen Phillips – Hostreviews.co.uk on Unsplash
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