In a (perhaps un-)surprising turn of events, Matt as escalated his dispute with hosting provider WP Engine, accusing the company of trademark violations. This marks a significant intensification of the conflict that began just days ago when Mullenweg referred to WP Engine as “a cancer to WordPress.”
In a blog post titled “WPE & Trademarks,” Mullenweg laid out his case against WP Engine, claiming that the hosting company has been “violating WordPress’ trademarks” for years. He asserts that Automattic has been attempting to negotiate a licensing deal with WP Engine “for a very long time,” but their efforts have been met with delay tactics.
Mullenweg states that Automattic offered WP Engine two options to “pay their fair share”:
- Pay a direct licensing fee
- Make in-kind contributions to the open-source project
According to Mullenweg, WP Engine has refused both options, leading him to “draw a line in the sand.”
In an attempt to preempt accusations of a cash grab, Mullenweg insists that this move is about ensuring that businesses profiting from WordPress contribute back to the ecosystem. He argues that any company making “hundreds of millions of dollars off of an open source project ought to give back.”
Interestingly, Mullenweg invokes the GNU General Public License (GPL) to support his position, stating that “respect for copyright and IP like trademarks is core to the GPL and our conception of what open source means.” This interpretation of the GPL’s relationship to trademarks may raise eyebrows in the open-source community.
As this dispute unfolds, questions arise about the timing and motivations behind Mullenweg’s actions. It’s worth noting that neither Mullenweg nor Automattic have made similar claims against other WordPress-based businesses in the past.
