WP Engine, a prominent hosting provider, has taken legal action against Automattic and WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, alleging extortion and abuse of power. This lawsuit follows a series of disputes between Mullenweg and WP Engine regarding trademark infringement and contributions to the WordPress community.
WP Engine claims that Automattic and Mullenweg have failed to uphold their commitment to overseeing WordPress open-source projects without restrictions, allowing developers the freedom to modify and distribute the software. The company asserts that Mullenweg’s actions have raised concerns about conflicts of interest and governance issues that could harm trust within the WordPress community.
The lawsuit, filed in a California court, also accuses Mullenweg of misleading information regarding his control over the WordPress Foundation and WordPress.org.
The ongoing conflict began when Mullenweg accused WP Engine of infringing WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks, referring to them as the “Cancer of WordPress.” He also criticized WP Engine’s private equity partner, Silver Lake, for allegedly neglecting the open-source community. In response, WP Engine issued a cease-and-desist letter demanding the retraction of Mullenweg’s remarks. Automattic reciprocated with its own cease-and-desist letter, accusing WP Engine of trademark infringement.
Mullenweg further escalated the situation by banning WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources, hindering site updates. However, he later granted a temporary reprieve until October 1.
Automattic proposed a seven-year term sheet to WP Engine, requiring the hosting company to pay 8% of its gross revenues as a royalty fee for using WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks. Alternatively, WP Engine could contribute employees to enhance WordPress core features or a combination of financial and developmental support. WP Engine declined these terms, which also included restrictions on forking plugins and extensions from Automattic and WooCommerce.
The legal battle between WP Engine and Automattic continues to unfold, showcasing the complexities and challenges within the WordPress community. For more information on this developing story, feel free to reach out to the reporter at im@ivanmehta.com or on Signal at @ivan.42.
