WP Engine issued a stop and desist letter to Matt Mullenweg, demanding he cease making ‘false, deceptive, and disparaging statements’ and stop utilizing his place at WordPress.org to profit his for-profit firm, Automattic. The letter refutes Mullenweg’s public accusations and descriptions his calls for for tens of tens of millions of {dollars} to keep away from taking a ‘nuclear method’ in opposition to WP Engine.
A screenshot of a textual content message by Mullenweg states:
For those who’re saying “subsequent week” that’s saying “no”, so I’ll proceed with the scorched earth nuclear method to WPE
Thanks for the readability, it provides me time to work on issues and hone my message.
WP Engine Stop And Desist
Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of the for-profit Automattic, posted on Reddit and in a Slack channel that WordPress had initiated litigation in opposition to WordPress and himself. It was later revealed that WP Engine had the truth is filed a Stop and Desist request (C&D).
The C&D doc, despatched to the Automattic Chief Authorized Officer, paperwork what it says are false factual statements, outlines a timeline of occasions, and rebuts Mullenweg’s allegations, accusations and statements.
WP Engine makes 4 key calls for:
- Stop Making False Factual Statements Relating to WP Engine.
- Stop Interfering with WP Engine’s Contractual Relationships With its Staff.
- Stop Interfering with WP Engine’s Contractual Relationships With its Prospects
- Protect All Doubtlessly Related Paperwork and Information.
Mullenweg Accused Of Severe Misconduct
Automattic is accused of “critical misconduct” towards WP Engine, laying out its model of occasions together with that Mullenweg threatened to take a “scorched earth nuclear method” in opposition to WP Engine if it refused to agree to present Automattic tens of tens of millions of {dollars} in money by 4:30 PM.
When the deadline for an settlement was not met, the authorized doc states that Mullenweg publicly made disparaging remarks in opposition to WP Engine in entrance of a dwell viewers, on YouTube and on weblog posts on the non-profit WordPress.org web site.
The C&D alleges:
“…Mr. Mullenweg’s phrases and actions threaten to – and seem supposed to – hurt WP Engine’s enterprise and fame inside the WordPress neighborhood and past, and tortiously intrude with WP Engine’s contractual relationships with its staff
and prospects.Certainly, some WP Engine prospects and neighborhood members have already expressed an intention to cease doing enterprise with WP Engine on account of Mr. Mullenweg’s misconduct…”
Allegations Shared On Just about All WordPress Web site Admin Panels
Mullenweg’s posts have been shared with tens of millions of WordPress publishers worldwide by way of hyperlinks displayed within the admin panels of of each WordPress website.
Screenshot Of A WordPress Admin Panel
Accused Of Abusing His Privileged Place Of Energy
WP Engine’s C&D accuses Mullenweg of abusing his distinctive place as each the CEO of a competitor (Automattic, Inc.) and as a director on the non-profit WordPress.org which produces the open supply WordPress content material administration system.
The doc states:
“Mr. Mullenweg’s statements additionally mirror a transparent abuse of his conflicting roles as each (1) the Director of the non-profit WordPress Basis, and (2) the CEO of no less than two for-profit companies that compete with WP Engine.
…Mr. Mullenweg’s covert demand that WP Engine hand over tens of tens of millions to his for-profit firm Automattic, whereas publicly masquerading as an altruistic protector of the WordPress neighborhood, is disgraceful.”
Listing Of Disparaging Remarks In opposition to WP Engine
WP Engine’s C&D paperwork all of the remarks Mullenweg made:
- Encouragement of WordPress customers to modify away from WP Engine
- Suggesting that WP Engine is retaliatory in the direction of its staff
- Accusing WP Engine of misusing the emblems
- Accusing WP Engine traders of not caring about open supply
- Suggesting that WP Engine could also be retaliatory in opposition to personal staff
WP Engine’s C&D rebuts each allegation by Mullenweg, addressing every occasion level by level.
Among the many rebuttals:
Rebuttal Of Accusation That WP Engine Contributes Little
“Even contemplating Mr. Mullenweg’s incorrect assertion that contribution is simply based mostly on hours labored and contributors to 5 for the Future, Mr. Mullenweg falsely acknowledged that WP Engine is failing on this metric. In actuality, WP Engine is ranked 30 out of 189 in hours contributed and 16 out of 189 in contributors, considerably outpacing a number of different contributors relative to our income.”
Rebuttal Of Trademark Misuse
“WP Engine’s use of “WP” is explicitly permitted by WordPress Basis’s trademark coverage:
‘The abbreviation ‘WP’ shouldn’t be coated by the WordPress emblems and you’re free to make use of it in any approach you see match.’
Furthermore, WP Engine’s use of the WordPress mark is solely compliant with governing trademark regulation. For greater than a decade, WP Engine has pretty used that time period to explain its companies, as different members of the WordPress ecosystem do.”
Hypothesis Of WP Engine Retaliation
“Isn’t just false and wholly unsubstantiated – additionally it is absurd.”
What’s Subsequent?
The following transfer seems to be as much as Mullenweg. Many member’s of the WordPress neighborhood have already expressed shock about what Mullenweg did and a few on Reddit are calling for Mullenweg to step down.
Screenshot Of Name For Mullenweg To Step Down
Learn the official Cease and Desist here (PDF).
Featured Picture by Shutterstock/Roman Samborskyi
