This story has been up to date all through with extra particulars because the story has developed. We’ll proceed to take action because the case and dispute are ongoing.
The world of WordPress, one of the in style applied sciences for creating and internet hosting web sites, goes by means of a really heated controversy. The core concern is the battle between WordPress founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine, which hosts web sites constructed on WordPress.
WordPress expertise is open supply and free, and it powers an enormous chunk of the web — round 40% of internet sites. Web sites can host their very own WordPress occasion or use an answer supplier like Automattic or WP Engine for a plug-and-play answer.
In mid-September, Mullenweg wrote a weblog put up calling WP Engine a “most cancers to WordPress.” He criticized the host for disabling the power for customers to see and observe the revision historical past for each put up. Mullenweg believes this characteristic is on the “core of the consumer promise of defending your knowledge” and mentioned that WP Engine turns it off by default to economize.
He additionally known as out WP Engine investor Silver Lake and mentioned they don’t contribute sufficiently to the open supply challenge and that WP Engine’s use of the “WP” model has confused clients into believing it’s a part of WordPress.
The authorized battle
In reply, WP Engine despatched a cease-and-desist letter to Mullenweg and Automattic, asking them to withdraw their feedback. It additionally mentioned that its use of the WordPress trademark was coated beneath truthful use.
The corporate claimed that Mullenweg had mentioned he would take a “scorched earth nuclear method” towards WP Engine except it agreed to pay “a major share of its revenues for a license to the WordPress trademark.”
In response, Automattic despatched its personal cease-and-desist letter to WP Engine, saying that that they had breached WordPress and WooCommerce trademark utilization guidelines.
The WordPress Basis additionally modified its Trademark Coverage web page and known as out WP Engine, alleging the internet hosting service has confused customers.
“The abbreviation ‘WP’ shouldn’t be coated by the WordPress logos, however please don’t use it in a approach that confuses folks. For instance, many individuals assume WP Engine is ‘WordPress Engine’ and formally related to WordPress, which it’s not. They’ve by no means as soon as even donated to the WordPress Basis, regardless of making billions of income on prime of WordPress,” the up to date web page reads.
WP Engine ban and trademark battle
Mullenweg then banned WP Engine from accessing the sources of WordPress.org. Whereas parts like plug-ins and themes are beneath open supply license, suppliers like WP Engine must run a service to fetch them, which isn’t coated beneath the open supply license.
This broke numerous web sites and prevented them from updating plug-ins and themes. It additionally left a few of them open to safety assaults. The neighborhood was not happy with this method of leaving small web sites helpless.
In response to the incident, WP Engine mentioned in a put up that Mullenweg had misused his management of WordPress to intrude with WP Engine clients’ entry to WordPress.org.
“Matt Mullenweg’s unprecedented and unwarranted motion interferes with the conventional operation of your complete WordPress ecosystem, impacting not simply WP Engine and our clients, however all WordPress plugin builders and open supply customers who rely upon WP Engine instruments like ACF,” WP Engine mentioned.
On September 27, WordPress.org lifted the ban briefly, permitting WP Engine to entry sources till October 1.
Mullenweg wrote a weblog put up clarifying that the battle is just towards WP Engine over logos. He mentioned Automattic has been attempting to dealer a trademark licensing deal for a very long time, however WP Engine’s solely response has been to “string us alongside.”
On September 30, a day earlier than the WordPress.org deadline for the ban on WP Engine, the internet hosting firm up to date its website’s footer to make clear it isn’t instantly affiliated with the WordPress Basis or owns the WordPress commerce.
“WP Engine is a proud member and supporter of the neighborhood of WordPress® customers. The WordPress® trademark is the mental property of the WordPress Basis, and the Woo® and WooCommerce® logos are the mental property of WooCommerce, Inc. Makes use of of the WordPress®, Woo®, and WooCommerce® names on this web site are for identification functions solely and don’t indicate an endorsement by WordPress Basis or WooCommerce, Inc. WP Engine shouldn’t be endorsed or owned by, or affiliated with, the WordPress Basis or WooCommerce, Inc.,” the up to date description on the positioning learn.
The corporate additionally modified its plan names from “Important WordPress,” “Core WordPress,” and “Enterprise WordPress” to “Important,” “Core,” and “Enterprise.”
WP Engine mentioned in a press release that it modified these phrases to moot Automattic’s claims.
“We, like the remainder of the WordPress neighborhood, use the WordPress mark to explain our enterprise. Automattic’s suggestion that WPE wants a license to try this is just improper, and displays a misunderstanding of trademark legislation. To moot its claimed considerations, we’ve eradicated the few examples Automattic gave in its September twenty third letter to us,” an organization spokesperson informed TechCrunch.
On October 1, the corporate posted on X that it has efficiently deployed its personal answer for updating plug-ins and themes.
On October 15, TechCrunch reported that Automattic deliberate to outline logos since early this yr involving “good and never good” attorneys, based on an inner weblog put up written by the corporate’s then chief authorized officer. The put up additionally talked about a technique to file extra logos, which the inspiration finally did in July.
The WordPress neighborhood and different tasks really feel this might additionally occur to them and need clarification from Automattic, which has an unique license to the WordPress trademark. The neighborhood can also be asking about clear steerage round how they will and might’t use “WordPress.”
The WordPress Basis, which owns the trademark, has additionally filed to trademark “Managed WordPress” and “Hosted WordPress.” Builders and suppliers are fearful that if these logos are granted, they may very well be used towards them.
Builders have expressed considerations over counting on industrial open supply merchandise associated to WordPress, particularly when their entry can go away rapidly.
Open supply content material administration system Ghost’s founder John O’Nolan additionally weighed in on the problem and criticized management of WordPress being with one individual.
“The net wants extra unbiased organizations, and it wants extra range. 40% of the net and 80% of the CMS market shouldn’t be managed by anyone particular person,” he mentioned in an X put up.
On October 9, net app improvement framework Ruby on Rails creator David Heinemeier Hansson opined that Automattic is violating principals of open supply software program by asking WP Engine to pay 8% of its revenues.
“Automattic is totally out of line, and the potential harm to the open supply world extends far past the WordPress. Don’t let the drama or its characters distract you from that risk,” he mentioned in a weblog put up.
On the identical day, Mullenweg added a brand new checkbox to the WordPress.org contributor login, asking folks to confirm that they don’t seem to be related to WP Engine in any approach. This transfer was criticized by the contributor neighborhood. Some contributors mentioned that they had been banned from the neighborhood Slack for opposing the transfer.
In response, WP Engine mentioned that its clients, companies, customers, and the neighborhood as an entire will not be the corporate’s associates.
On October 12, WordPress.org took management of ACF (Superior Customized Fields) plug-in — which makes it simpler for WordPress builders so as to add personalized fields on the edit display screen — which was maintained by WP Engine. As WP Engine misplaced management of the open supply plug-in repository, the Silver Lake-backed firm wasn’t capable of replace the plug-in. WordPress.org and Mullenweg mentioned that plug-in tips permit the group to take this step.
On October 28, WordPress allegedly requested organizers of WordCamp Sydney, a neighborhood occasion, to take away posts speaking about WP Engine. Plus, Automattic additionally requested organizers internationally to share social media account credentials for “secure storage of future occasions,” based on leaked letters posted on X.
On November 7, Automattic created a brand new web page known as WP Engine Tracker to point out what number of web sites have switched from WP Engine to a different internet hosting supplier.
WP Engine lawsuit
On October 3, WP Engine sued Automattic and Mullenweg over abuse of energy in a court docket in California. The internet hosting firm additionally alleged that Automattic and Mullenweg didn’t preserve their guarantees to run WordPress open supply tasks with none constraints and giving builders the liberty to construct, run, modify, and redistribute the software program.
“Matt Mullenweg’s conduct during the last ten days has uncovered vital conflicts of curiosity and governance points that, if left unchecked, threaten to destroy that belief. WP Engine has no selection however to pursue these claims to guard its folks, company companions, clients, and the broader WordPress neighborhood,” the corporate mentioned in a press release to TechCrunch.
The lawsuit additionally notes alleged texts from Mullenweg about probably hiring WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner. In a touch upon Hacker Information, Mullenweg mentioned that Brunner wished to be an govt director of WordPress.org.
In response, Automattic known as this case meritless.
“I stayed up final evening studying WP Engine’s Criticism, looking for any benefit wherever to it. The entire thing is meritless, and we stay up for the federal court docket’s consideration of their lawsuit,” the corporate’s authorized consultant, Neal Katyal, mentioned in a weblog put up.
On October 18, WP Engine filed an injunction in a California court docket, asking the choose to revive its entry to WordPress.org. A day later, the corporate filed an administrative movement requesting the court docket to shorten the time to listen to its earlier preliminary injunction.
Mullenweg and staff opposed expedited listening to in a court docket doc filed on October 21. They argued that the case shouldn’t be about WP Engine’s entry to WordPress, as the corporate already has entry to “https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress” and so they can select to make use of it in any approach.
“Relatively than being about entry to WordPress software program, this case as an alternative is about WordPress.org – an internet site owned and run by Defendant Matt Mullenweg individually, for the good thing about the neighborhood he loves,” the submitting reads.
“WordPress.org shouldn’t be WordPress. WordPress.org shouldn’t be Automattic or the WordPress Basis, and isn’t managed by both. On the contrary, as Plaintiff itself acknowledges, WordPress.org is Mr. Mullenweg’s accountability.”
On October 23, Decide Araceli Martinez-Olguin mentioned the primary listening to for main injunction will happen on November 26 except there may be an opposition.
On October 30, Mullenweg and Automattic filed a movement to dismiss key accusations made by WP Engine on the premise that the corporate is answerable for harming itself.
“Regardless of its personal (mis)conduct, WP Engine’s Criticism now asks this Courtroom to compel Matt to offer varied sources and help to non-public equity-backed WP Engine at no cost, within the absence of any contract, settlement, or promise to take action,” the court docket doc learn.
In reply, WP Engine filed a doc citing Mullenweg’s feedback on the TC Disrupt stage about how a lot enterprise WP Engine misplaced.
Automattic exodus
On October 3, 159 Automattic workers who didn’t agree with Mullenweg’s path of the corporate and WordPress general took a severance bundle and left the corporate. Nearly 80% of people that left labored in Automattic’s Ecosystem / WordPress division.
On October 8, WordPress mentioned that Mary Hubbard, who was TikTok U.S.’s head of governance and expertise, shall be beginning as govt director. This put up was beforehand held by Josepha Haden Chomphosy, who was one of many 159 folks leaving Automattic. A day previous to this, one of many engineers from WP Engine introduced that he was becoming a member of Automattic.
On October 12, Mullenweg wrote in a put up that each working Automattic worker would get 200 A12 shares as a token of gratitude. These shares are a particular class for Automattic workers that they will promote after one yr and don’t have an expiry date.
On October 17, Mullenweg posted one other alignment supply on Automattic Slack — with only a four-hour response window — with a nine-month severance. Nevertheless, if any individual took the supply, they might additionally lose entry to the WordPress.org neighborhood, Mullenweg mentioned.
You possibly can contact this reporter at im@ivanmehta.com or on Sign: @ivan.42
