WordPress Vs. WP Engine: What’s the Drama?

Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic (the parent company of WordPress), has made headlines recently as he’s expressed his dislike of WP Engine. And that’s putting it mildly.

In a blog post written mid-September, Mullenweg called WP Engine a “cancer to WordPress”, criticising the platform and company for not being committed to protecting user data in order to save money. Furthermore, he’s asserted that the name, “WP Engine”, is intentionally misleading to customers and users, implying that it’s part of WordPress itself, which it isn’t.

WP Engine has clapped back, serving both Mullenweg and Automattic with a cease-and-desist letter, formally requesting that the previously made comments be withdrawn.

The crux of the issue, it seems, is the company’s name and Automattic’s claim that it supposedly breaches WordPress and WooCommerce trademark usage rules. WP Engine continues to deny any trademark transgressions; however, this has led to further back-and-forth between the two parties.

The Trademark Dispute

The point of contention here is the name, “WP Engine”, and WordPress’s accusation that the company has intentionally misled users and violated trademark rules and agreements. Of course, WP Engine disagrees, which has led to a lengthy argument over who’s right and who’s wrong.

Let’s break it down:

• Mullenweg wrote a blog article criticising WP Engine for its supposed “breach” of trademark agreements. He claimed that the company is knowingly sacrificing user privacy and security to cut costs.

• WP Engine responded with a cease-and-desist letter, denying Mullenweg and Automattic’s claims.

• Automattic served WP Engine with a cease-and-desist letter, accusing them of breaching trademark usage rules with regard to WordPress and WooCommerce.

• Mullenweg made an “informal” statement saying that he intends to use a “scorched earth” approach unless WP Engine agrees to “a significant percentage of its revenues for a license to the WordPress trademark.”

• WordPress changed its policy page details, including a statement acknowledging that “WP” isn’t technically part of their trademark, but that it’s irresponsible to use it in an attempt to mislead users – a clear reference to their ongoing disagreement with WP Engine.

• Mullenweg banned WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources, resulting in a lot of broken websites and more.

• WP Engine responded by saying that the action taken by Mullenweg had a negative effect on WP Engine, its customers and also all WordPress plugin developers and open-source users.

• WordPress temporarily lifted the ban from the 27th of September until the 1st of October, supposedly allowing those affected to prepare a little bit for the future, but it’s set to be re-imposed from the 1st.

Despite everything he’s done and the ramifications his actions have had for both WP Engine and WordPress clients too, Mullenweg maintains his position – that the argument is about the trademark issue.

However, due to the far-reaching consequences of Mullenweg and Automattic’s actions – namely, the banning of WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources – many people in the industry have expressed concern regarding WordPress itself and their future in using the platform’s services.

What’s Next in the Feud?

So, what now? Mullenweg has clearly been incredibly outspoken about his feelings regarding WP Engine and his grievances regarding the trademarking issues – both in his personal capacity and from the perspective of Automattic.

The question is, who’s right? And more importantly, what will the ramifications be of Mullenweg’s accusations and his actions?

Already, both industry experts and WordPress and WP Engine have expressed major concerns. For those who were affected by the ban imposed on the 27th of September, and just other users of WP Engine and WordPress, this move from Mullenweg’s side raised both immediate and future concerns in terms of WordPress’s reliability.

Of course, everybody is now concerned that something like this could happen again and have detrimental ramifications for them, their websites and their companies.

The other point of concern comes from other members of WordPress community who have started requesting formal clarification over how the term “WordPress” can be used in their listed services. They’re worried that they’ll be called out in the same way that WP Engine has, facing similar retribution.

However, they all assert – alongside WP Engine – that the use of the term “WordPress” isn’t supposed to indicate endorsement by the WordPress foundation or WooCommerce. Rather, the term is used for identification purposes.

Overall, there seems to be a fair amount of concern and scepticism regarding WordPress’s harsh actions. But, Mullenweg seems persistent in his venture to obtain financial compensation from WP Engine for the supposed trademarking issues.

Until there’s some legal resolution in the matter, we’ll be waiting with bated breath to see who comes out on top.