The brewing legal conflict within the WordPress community seems to be intensifying around trademark issues.
Following WP Engine’s cease-and-desist notice to Automattic, which urged its CEO to cease negative comments about WP Engine, Automattic has retaliated with its own legal letter. Automattic claims that WP Engine has violated trademarks such as WordPress and WooCommerce.
The tension escalated after Matt Mullenweg, Automattic’s CEO and WordPress co-creator, admonished WP Engine for profiting from the open-source WordPress project. He labeled WP Engine a “cancer to WordPress” and accused the company of minimal community contributions.
In its official correspondence on Monday, Automattic accused WP Engine of generating over $400 million in revenue through unauthorized use of the WordPress trademark, which Automattic asserts to own exclusively through the WordPress Foundation. Automattic also claimed that WP Engine misled consumers into believing a direct relationship between the two companies.
Automattic demanded compensation for the profits WP Engine acquired through trademark use and hinted at resorting to a civil injunction if the issue isn’t resolved amicably.
A summary by Paul Sawers sheds light on the WordPress ecosystem, indicating the intricate dynamics of businesses like Automattic and WP Engine operating in the WordPress space.
The letter WP Engine sent Automattic defended its use of the “WordPress” trademark, citing fair use laws and accusing Automattic of misunderstanding trademark law and the WordPress Foundation’s trademark policy.
WP Engine’s letter also revealed Matt Mullenweg’s demanding a substantial percentage of WP Engine’s revenues for a licensing agreement to use trademarks like “WordPress”, which the company rejected. WP Engine criticized Mullenweg for making negative statements about the company without acknowledging their side of the story.
Mullenweg’s comments about WP Engine’s contributions to the community and the quality of their WordPress services triggered a public feud, with WP Engine defending its business practices against Mullenweg’s allegations.
This dispute could lead to protracted legal battles between the two parties, impacting specialized WordPress hosting providers in the ecosystem.
