Court orders WordPress CEO to cease interference in WP Engine’s operations

A California district judge has issued a preliminary injunction against Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, and its CEO Matt Mullenweg, in favor of WP Engine, a major third-party hosting service for WordPress. The ruling marks a turning point in a long-standing feud between the two companies over access to the open-source WordPress.org platform and its ecosystem.

Judge sides with WP Engine

WP Engine accused Automattic and Mullenweg of taking deliberate actions to harm its business, including blocking access to WordPress.org servers and exerting control over key plugins, such as the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Plugin. This disruption allegedly left WP Engine customers unable to install or update essential plugins and themes.

Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín found that Mullenweg’s actions were “designed to induce breach or disruption” and rejected Automattic’s claim that WP Engine’s reliance on WordPress.org was unjustified.

“Defendants’ role in helping that harm materialize through their recent targeted actions toward WP Engine, and no other competitor, cannot be ignored,” the judge wrote in the ruling.

As part of the injunction, Automattic is required to:

• Restore WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org.

• Remove a public list of WP Engine’s customers and affiliated companies that was published online.

• Eliminate a checkbox on WordPress.org login pages asking users to verify they’re not affiliated with WP Engine.

WP Engine welcomed the decision, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “We are grateful that the court has granted our motion for a preliminary injunction that restores access to and functionality of wordpress.org for WP Engine, its customers, and its users.”

The root of the conflict

The dispute revolves around WP Engine’s use of WordPress.org’s free, open-source software to power its hosting service. While Automattic runs WordPress.com, a commercial platform, WP Engine has emerged as a major competitor, reportedly powering over 200,000 websites.

Mullenweg has been vocal in his criticism of WP Engine, accusing the company of profiting from WordPress’s open-source platform without adequately contributing back to its development. “Silver Lake [WP Engine’s private equity owner] doesn’t give a dang about your open-source ideals — it just wants return on capital,” Mullenweg said earlier this year.

Automattic argued that WP Engine’s contributions to the WordPress.org project amount to only 40 hours per week, which Mullenweg described as a “poor standard.” He has urged the WordPress community to “vote with their wallet” by choosing companies that “nourish the ecosystem” rather than “strip-mine” it.

Trademark disputes and allegations

The rivalry has also been marked by trademark disputes, with Automattic accusing WP Engine of misusing the WordPress trademark and demanding either financial compensation or greater contributions to the open-source project. WP Engine countered that these demands were a veiled attempt to stifle competition.

An end to the WordPress vs WP Engine saga?

While the injunction restores WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org, the case is far from over. It will now proceed to trial, where both sides will present their arguments. Automattic remains confident in its position, with spokesperson Megan Fox stating, “We look forward to prevailing in court.”