In the latest twist of the ongoing WordPress drama, Automattic has dropped explosive statements, leaving little doubt about where they stand. For those who thought this fight was cooling off… think again.
Automattic just turned up the heat.
Little Background | 2 Major Factors
Trademark Issue
If you’ve been living under a rock, here’s the TL;DR: WP Engine, a hosting giant making nearly half a billion a year, has been in a heated dispute with Automattic (the company behind WordPress.org) over WP Engine’s unauthorized use of the WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks.
The issue? WP Engine’s branding and business practices have misled customers into thinking they’re essentially WordPress’s commercial twin.
Automattic, the rightful trademark holder, has been chasing WP Engine to sign a commercial trademark license and contribute to the WordPress ecosystem – but WP Engine keeps ghosting.
And Automattic has had enough.
WP Engine, on the other hand, argues that their use of “WP” is in line with industry norms, and they dispute Automattic’s claims of consumer confusion.
Furthermore, WP Engine contends that Automattic has unfairly targeted them, while many other companies using “WP” in their names have not faced the same level of scrutiny.
WP Engine also points out that their use of the term “WP” is explicitly permitted by the WordPress Foundation, which states: “The abbreviation ‘WP’ is not covered by the WordPress trademarks and you are free to use it in any way you see fit.“
WP Engine Disabling The Revision History Feature
WP Engine faced criticism for turning off some important WordPress features, especially the revision history.
Matt Mullenweg saw this as going against WordPress’s promise to protect user data.
WP Engine reportedly disabled this feature to cut costs, which many felt compromised the overall WordPress experience.
By controlling key features, it appeared that WP Engine was putting profits ahead of user satisfaction.
Automattic’s Latest Bombshell | October 1st Update
As of October 1, 2024, Automattic published a new statement about how WP Engine has been profiting off its name without giving anything back (I am taking no sides here, these statements are from Automattic).
The key points? Automattic alleges that WP Engine, backed by the private equity firm Silver Lake since 2018, has misled consumers by commercializing the WordPress and WooCommerce names without proper licensing.
The result? WP Engine has built a half-a-billion-dollar empire while failing to contribute a single dime to the platform that powers its entire business.
But Automattic didn’t stop there.
They openly declared: “If you gave $1 to the WordPress Foundation, you’d be a bigger donor than WP Engine.” The shade is real.
While in WP Engine’s cease-and-desist letter on September 23, 2024, they said that they contributed tens of millions of dollars in support of the WordPress community through event sponsorships, including WordCamps, and the development of educational resources such as DE{CODE} and the WordPress Roundup.
WP Engine also supports and maintains several open-source projects, including ACF, WPGraphQL, and faust.js, used by millions of websites globally, while producing webinars, podcasts, and tutorials to empower the WordPress community.
Automattic’s Statement October 2, 2024
In Automattic’s October 2, 2024 statement, they called out WP Engine and Silver Lake for what they claim are blatant lies in their cease-and-desist (C&D) letter.
According to them, WP Engine had the nerve to accuse Automattic of demanding money right before Matt Mullenweg’s keynote speech at WordCamp US. According to Automattic, that’s simply not true.
Here’s What Really Happened
Automattic claims they merely asked WP Engine for a verbal agreement to contribute a small percentage of their revenue… either through a trademark agreement or by dedicating employee hours to WordPress core development. WP Engine, of course, declined.
But Automattic wasn’t done. In an effort to stay transparent (and let’s be honest, to pile on the pressure), they published the full term sheet that WP Engine was offered on September 20, 2024.
Automattic’s message was clear that WP Engine’s behavior, deceit, and “incompetence” since that time mean those terms are no longer on the table. The ball’s in WP Engine’s court, but Automattic is showing they’re not interested in playing nice anymore.
What’s Next For WP Engine and Automattic?
Automattic has publicly stated that the terms WP Engine was offered last month are no longer sufficient. WP Engine may soon be facing even tougher conditions than before, all thanks to their delays and deception.
As of now, Automattic has made it clear that WP Engine’s fate is in their hands. They can sign a trademark agreement, contribute to WordPress, and resolve this mess or continue to fight, risking both their reputation and their customers’ trust.
Same goes for Automattic, there must be a reason why there is “If WordPress is to survive, Matt Mullenweg must be removed” is going on the internet!
By Digillex
