Photo by Fikret tozak on Unsplash

Following a public disagreement over trademarks in mid-September, WP Engine, a web hosting service, has taken a bold step by suing WordPress founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg, accusing them of libel, attempted extortion, Computer Fraud and Abuse act violation, and failure of disclosure regarding trademark ownership today, October 3. 

“It has to be said and repeated: WP Engine is not WordPress. My own mother was confused and thought WP Engine was an official thing. Their branding, marketing, advertising, and entire promise to customers is that they’re giving you WordPress, but they’re not. And they’re profiting off of the confusion. WP Engine needs a trademark license to continue their business,” said Mullenweg in a blog post on September 21.

As a response, WP Engine sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the retraction of Mullenweg’s statements, but Automattic refuted by accusing them of trademark infringement and calling for royalty payments.

Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, has misused his control of WordPress to interfere with WP Engine customers’ access to https://t.co/ZpKb9q4jPh, asserting that he did so because WP Engine filed litigation against https://t.co/erlNmkIol2. This simply is not true. Our Cease &…

— WP Engine (@wpengine) September 26, 2024

Along with the lawsuit, the company is also seeking monetary damages and a court order to prevent Mullenweg from causing them and the WordPress community further harm now that the situation has turned into a public relations battle.

Looking ahead, this legal fiasco may mean that there will be a rising demand for the establishment of legal precedents regarding the ownership and use of open-source software trademarks.