Breaking news
Up up to now WordPress web web hosting service WP Engine on Monday sent a conclude and desist letter to WordPress maker Automattic, to force the latter’s CEO Matthew Mullenweg to conclude making allegedly fraudulent and deceptive claims about WP Engine following a purported trademark license inquire of.
The letter [PDF] claims Mullenweg known as WP Engine a “cancer” and privately threatened to disparage the firm if it didn’t pay Automattic tens of hundreds and hundreds of greenbacks yearly for the utilization of the ‘WordPress’ trademark – an quantity the letter characterizes as an “astronomical and extortionate monetary demand.”
WP Engine reckons it doesn’t must license the observe “WordPress,” as its utilize of the label is roofed by stunning utilize.
“Stunningly, Automattic’s CEO Matthew Mullenweg threatened that if WP Engine did not agree to pay Automattic – his for-profit entity – a very large sum of money before his September 20th keynote address at the WordCamp US Convention, he was going to embark on a self-described ‘scorched earth nuclear approach’ toward WP Engine within the WordPress community and beyond,” the letter from WP Engine reads
WordPress is a favored delivery source direct material administration scheme veteran by larger than 65 million websites. Mullenweg is thought to be some of the 2 creators of the machine and also CEO of Automattic, which operates WordPress.com, a service for web web hosting WordPress websites.
WP Engine also presents web web hosting for WordPress websites, but as Mullenweg argued in a weblog submit final week, “WP Engine is not WordPress.” He claims that WP Engine, funded by project capital firm Silver Lake, is hollowing out the starting up source world by profiting from WordPress without giving back to the community.
Mullenweg contends that WP Engine, whereas making “about half a billion in revenue on top of WordPress,” sponsors builders to spend 40 hours total a week working on the trend of WordPress. Automattic’s sponsorship sees builders spend almost 4,000 hours per week. The Automattic CEO also argues that WP Engine’s resolution to disable WordPress revisions by default shows the firm’s disinterest in customer direct material.
“They disable revisions because it costs them more money to store the history of the changes in the database, and they don’t want to spend that to protect your content,” Mullenweg wrote.
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Mullenweg reiterated that level at WordCamp US 2024 final week. “Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your open source ideals,” he acknowledged. “It just wants return on capital.”
Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your delivery source ideals. It factual wants return on capital.
Automattic did now no longer accurate now acknowledge to a inquire of for observation.
WP Engine wants Mullenweg to conclude slamming the firm and claims the criticism follows from its refusal to conform to hundreds and hundreds in annual payments described within the letter as “ostensibly … for a ‘license’ to use certain trademarks like WordPress, even though WP Engine needs no such license.”
Based mostly on the letter, WP Engine is allowed to utilize the WordPress trademark below now no longer easiest stunning utilize but additionally the WordPress Foundation’s trademark protection, despite the protection’s explicit demonstrate of WP Engine for having “never once even donated to the WordPress Foundation, despite making billions of revenue on top of WordPress.”
The WP Engine letter goes on to field Mullenweg’s assertions about community contributions, trademark infringement, and various claims, whereas directing Automattic to withhold documents in case of litigation. It additional hints at a most likely correct claim tortious interference and unfair alternate practices, but no actual criticism has but been filed.
WP Engine did now no longer accurate now acknowledge to a inquire of for observation. ®
Up up to now to add
On Tuesday evening, Computerized printed a conclude-and-desist letter that its correct consultant sent to WP Engine on Monday. The letter demands that WP Engine conclude using its trademarks and also directs the biz to protect documents for most likely litigation.
“WP Engine’s unauthorized utilize of our shopper’s trademarks also dilutes their rights, tarnishes their recognition, and otherwise harms the goodwill they’ve established in their renowned and illustrious trademarks, and has enabled WP Engine to unfairly compete with our shopper, leading to WP Engine’s unjust enrichment,” the letter states.
