⚖️ WP Engine Files for Court Intervention
On October 18, 2024, WP Engine filed an injunction in Northern California. This legal move comes after WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg blocked the company’s access to the WordPress.org repository in response to a lawsuit. The hosting company is now asking the court to restore the situation to how it was before September 20, 2024. WP Engine wants to continue updating its Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin, which plays a crucial role in customizing user interfaces. According to WP Engine’s filing, this request also covers the company's affiliates and customers.
🚫 WordPress Blocks WP Engine
The conflict started when WP Engine filed a lawsuit against Matt Mullenweg and his company, Automattic, last month. In retaliation, Mullenweg, who owns WordPress.org, blocked WP Engine’s access to the open-source platform. This move affected WP Engine’s ability to update ACF, prompting WordPress to fork the plugin. WordPress cited developer guidelines that allow it to make such changes without the developer’s approval, in the name of public safety. This dramatic escalation has raised concerns in the developer community.
📜 WP Engine CEO’s Declaration
Heather Brunner, WP Engine’s CEO, submitted a declaration in support of the filing. She expressed surprise at the conflict, stating she believed WordPress.org was associated with the nonprofit WordPress Foundation. This misunderstanding has fueled the legal dispute, as Brunner argues that the actions taken by Mullenweg and Automattic were unjustified. WP Engine’s filing argues that the situation must return to the status quo for fairness and business continuity.
🛑 Automattic’s Response
Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, strongly opposes WP Engine’s claims. A spokesperson for Automattic called WP Engine’s allegations “gross mischaracterizations of reality” and vowed to fight the lawsuit in court. Automattic maintains that WP Engine’s case has no legal merit and will defend its actions vigorously. The WordPress community has also been impacted by this, with some contributors being banned from the platform’s Slack for speaking out against Mullenweg’s decision to block WP Engine.
Should WP Engine regain its WordPress.org access?
