What the WP Engine Dispute Means for Users and the Future of WordPress
The WordPress community is currently witnessing a significant dispute involving WP Engine, Automattic, and Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress. Recent developments have raised concerns about trademark usage, WordPress’s open-source ethos, and the potential impact on end-users and the broader ecosystem.
At WordCamp US last week, Matt Mullenweg delivered a keynote address covering a range of topics, including contribution ethics, the principles of open source, and corporate commitments within the WordPress ecosystem. Notably, he singled out WP Engine, urging the community to reconsider using their services. This public critique was followed by a post on WordPress.org titled “WP Engine is banned from WordPress.org,” where Matt announced that WP Engine would no longer have access to WordPress.org’s resources.
Behind the scenes, it emerged that Automattic’s CFO, Mark Davies, had communicated to a WP Engine board member that Automattic would “go to war” if WP Engine did not agree to pay a significant percentage of its gross revenues—specifically, 8%—as a licensing fee for using trademarks like “WordPress.” This demand amounts to tens of millions of dollars annually. According to WP Engine’s cease and desist letter, they believe this demand is unfounded, arguing that their use of the WordPress name is legally permissible under established trademark law and consistent with WordPress’s own guidelines.
Adding to the complexity, the WordPress Foundation has filed trademarks for “Managed WordPress” and “Hosted WordPress.” These terms have been widely used in the industry for years to describe specific types of hosting services tailored for WordPress websites. The filing of these trademarks has raised alarms within the community about potential overreach and the future of fair use within the ecosystem.
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