Automattic vs WP Engine WordPress Battle Develops into a Nuclear War-Like Class Action Lawsuit
As Automattic and WP Engine continue to trade accusations over the content management system WordPress, a new class action lawsuit has been filed by a WP Engine customer against Automattic, with several media outlets describing the lawsuit as a 'nuclear war' that could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of customers.
Automattic's “nuclear war” over WordPress access sparks potential class action - Ars Technica
Automattic Hit With Class Action Over WP Engine Dispute, Accused of Anti-Competitive Tactics - The Repository
https://www.therepository.email/automattic-hit-with-class-action-over-wp-engine-dispute-accused-of-anti-competitive-tactics
The issue began in September 2024 when Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic and one of the developers of WordPress, criticized WP Engine for unfairly profiting from WordPress and blocked WP Engine's access to WordPress.
WordPress announces it will block access from WP Engine, stating that 'users whose sites are broken should ask WP Engine to fix them' - GIGAZINE
Additionally, Automattic has asked WP Engine to cease and desist from using the WordPress trademark and pay licensing fees.
In response, WP Engine sued Automattic and Mr. Mullenweg in October 2024, alleging that Automattic's actions had disrupted its business. In court, WP Engine accused Automattic of making extortionate demands for money, accusing it of calculating the fees based on WP Engine's financial situation rather than the value of the trademark.
WP Engine sues WordPress developer Automattic and CEO Matt Mullenweg, WordPress trademark dispute finally goes to court - GIGAZINE
Meanwhile, Ryan Keller, owner of SecureSight, a small Ohio-based cybersecurity company, has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of WP Engine customers.
In a document filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on February 21, 2025 (PDF file) , Keller said, 'Automattic intentionally disrupted WP Engine's business by blocking access to WordPress.org's critical services, thereby causing disruption, security risks, and economic harm.'
According to Keller's lawsuit, WordPress-related software has 'long been promised to be free for everyone, forever.' This strong guarantee has helped WordPress grow in popularity, powering more than 40% of the world's websites.
As a result, WP Engine, which provides hosting services using WordPress, also saw its business expand rapidly, acquiring major clients such as Yelp, Dropbox, and Thomson Reuters. Mullenweg, who was dissatisfied with this, criticized WP Engine by name, which is what Keller claims is the beginning of the feud between Automattic and WP Engine.
Keller, who pays $3,300 a year for WP Engine's plans, said he had to spend time and money looking for alternative hosting providers. In court documents, Keller said many customers, mostly small and medium-sized businesses, suffered similar disruptions and migration costs.
If Keller wins the class action lawsuit, the class action would include 'everyone in the United States who continuously used a WPE WordPress web hosting plan between September 24 and December 10, 2024,' which is estimated to affect hundreds of thousands of people.
'As the owner of Automattic and WordPress.com, Mr. Mullenweg has profited greatly from the growth of open source WordPress. To withhold access to this open source software until he has made personal payments to Mr. Mullenweg and the entities he controls is a betrayal of open source principles,' Keller said in the lawsuit.
Meanwhile, an Automattic spokesperson said, 'Ryan Keller's lawsuit against us and Mullenweg is without merit and merely rehashes the same unfounded allegations in WP Engine's lawsuit. Automattic and Mullenweg are committed to protecting open source principles and the WordPress community. We are confident that we will prevail in court against both the core elements of our lawsuit against WP Engine and the attempted class certification based on unfounded allegations.'
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in Web Service, Posted by log1l_ks