A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, mandating the reversal of restrictive measures imposed on WP Engine, one of the largest managed WordPress hosting providers.
The ruling comes as the culmination of a high-profile legal battle that has intensified over the past year, centered around allegations of anti-competitive practices, plugin control, and governance disputes within the WordPress ecosystem.
In her decision, Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín criticized Automattic’s actions as targeting WP Engine to disrupt its business and undermine its market position.
The court ordered Automattic to restore WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org resources, reverse the forced fork of the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin, and remove other restrictions deemed harmful to WP Engine’s operations.
The court stated that Automattic’s actions, including blocking access and altering plugin functionality, disrupted WP Engine’s operations and appeared to marginalize the company within the WordPress ecosystem.
A History of Tensions Escalating to Legal Action
Automattic and WP Engine have had a contentious relationship for years, marked by disputes over branding, contributions to open-source development, and control of vital plugins.
WP Engine, which provides hosting solutions tailored for WordPress, depends heavily on the WordPress.org platform for distributing and managing plugins, including the Advanced Custom Fields plugin it acquired in 2019.
The conflict escalated in September 2024 when Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg publicly criticized WP Engine, accusing the company of exploiting the WordPress ecosystem without contributing adequately to its development.
At the WordCamp conference that month, Mullenweg referred to WP Engine as a “cancer” within the community and encouraged users to support hosting providers that actively fund WordPress initiatives.
The tension culminated in October 2024, when Automattic forcibly forked the Advanced Custom Fields plugin, creating its own version called Secure Custom Fields. This fork removed ACF’s commercial features and introduced changes Automattic claimed were necessary for security.
In a blog post defending the fork, Mullenweg wrote that “SCF has been updated to remove commercial upsells and fix a security problem.”
WP Engine responded by describing the fork as an unprecedented and hostile takeover. The company argued that Automattic’s actions disrupted ACF’s functionality, undermined user trust, and left WP Engine unable to provide necessary updates to the plugin.
“Mullenweg’s actions are extraordinarily concerning and pose the grave risk of upending and irreparably harming the entire WordPress ecosystem. His attempt to unilaterally take control of this open platform that we and so many other plugin developers and contributors have relied on, in the spirit of sharing plugins for all, provides further evidence of his serious abuse of trust, manifold conflicts of interest, and breach of the promises of openness and integrity in the community.”
The Court’s Injunction: A Blow to Automattic
The December injunction represents a significant victory for WP Engine and a sharp rebuke of Automattic’s practices. The ruling requires Automattic to undo several measures, including the removal of a checkbox on WordPress.org that required users to confirm they were not affiliated with WP Engine before logging in.
The court also ordered Automattic to take down a website it had created to track WP Engine customer migrations and to reverse IP blocking measures implemented earlier this year.
WP Engine welcomed the court’s decision, issuing a statement 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 wordpressdotorg for WP Engine, its customers and its users.
This ruling provides much-needed stability for the WordPress ecosystem. We deeply…— WP Engine (@wpengine) December 11, 2024
Automattic, however, downplayed the ruling, describing it on X as a temporary measure.
Today’s ruling is a preliminary order designed to maintain the status quo. It was made without the benefit of discovery, our motion to dismiss, or the counterclaims we will be filing against WP Engine shortly. We look forward to prevailing at trial as we continue to protect the…
— Automattic (@automattic) December 11, 2024
Governance and Power Dynamics in WordPress
At the heart of the dispute lies a broader debate about governance and authority within the WordPress ecosystem. As the steward of WordPress.org, Automattic wields significant influence over plugin development, distribution, and enforcement of community guidelines.
This authority has led to criticism that the company prioritizes its commercial interests over the principles of open-source collaboration.
The forced fork of the ACF plugin has become a focal point in this discussion. Critics argue that Automattic’s actions set a dangerous precedent by allowing centralized control to override the autonomy of third-party developers. For WP Engine, the fork was not just a technical disruption but a broader challenge to its role in the ecosystem.
The Impact on Developers and the WordPress Community
The forced fork of the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin has sent shockwaves through the WordPress community. For years, ACF has been a cornerstone for developers seeking to add custom metadata to WordPress content, offering advanced functionality that extends the platform’s flexibility.
WP Engine’s acquisition of the plugin in 2019 was seen as a move to bolster its offerings, but Automattic’s intervention in 2024 disrupted its stability.
Developers and WordPress users have voiced concerns about Automattic’s actions, arguing that the fork undermines trust in the platform’s governance. Many reported confusion over the dual versions of ACF, with some unknowingly migrating to Automattic’s fork.
Critics fear this incident sets a troubling precedent for plugin management, where dominant players could sideline smaller developers by asserting control over popular tools.
In its ruling, the court acknowledged these broader implications, noting:
“By unilaterally altering ACF’s functionality and creating parallel versions, Automattic has introduced uncertainty within the developer community. Such actions jeopardize the collaborative spirit foundational to WordPress’s success.”
The WordPress ecosystem, historically celebrated for its openness and inclusivity, now faces questions about whether those principles can withstand the pressures of commercialization and competition. The escalating conflict can impact millions of web-siter owners as basically more than half of the web is currently running on WordPress.
Legal Arguments and Broader Implications
WP Engine’s lawsuit against Automattic has shed light on deeper legal and ethical challenges in the open-source world. At the core of the dispute are allegations of monopolistic behavior, trademark misuse, and unfair competition. WP Engine contends that Automattic’s actions were not only detrimental to its business but also antithetical to the values of the WordPress community.
According to the court documents, Automattic attempted to coerce WP Engine into paying an 8% revenue share or providing equivalent staffing contributions to regain full access to WordPress.org resources. These demands, coupled with the IP blocking and plugin restrictions, form the basis of WP Engine’s claims of extortion and abuse of power_
“Among other conditions, the trademark license agreement contained the following fee provision: In exchange for the License Grant, WP Engine shall do one of the following: (a) Pay Automattic a royalty fee equal to 8% of its Gross Revenue on a monthly basis, within fifteen days of the end of each month… or Commit 8% of its revenue in the form of salaries of WP Engine employees working on WordPress core features and functionality to be directed by WordPress.org”
Automattic, on the other hand, has defended its actions as necessary to protect the platform. In his public statements, Matt Mullenweg emphasized the importance of maintaining security and compliance within WordPress. However, critics argue that such justifications fail to address the broader consequences of centralized control.
The legal battle has also raised questions about how open-source projects like WordPress can balance community-driven governance with the realities of commercial growth.
While Automattic’s leadership has historically played a key role in shaping WordPress’s direction, its dual role as a commercial entity and community steward has led to increasing scrutiny.
Reactions from the WordPress Community
The WordPress community has been divided in its response to the legal battle. Developers and hosting providers sympathetic to WP Engine’s plight have called for reforms to reduce Automattic’s influence over the ecosystem.
Others, however, have defended Automattic’s actions, arguing that stronger enforcement of guidelines is necessary to ensure platform security and consistency.
Meanwhile, contributors to WordPress.org have expressed concern about the potential chilling effect of such disputes. Independent plugin developers, in particular, worry that Automattic’s actions could discourage innovation and collaboration within the community.
The Future of Open-Source Governance
As Automattic and WP Engine prepare for the next phase of legal proceedings, the case has become a lightning rod for broader debates about the governance of open-source projects.
Advocates for reform argue that WordPress.org’s current structure grants Automattic disproportionate control, making it difficult for third-party developers and hosting providers to compete on equal footing.
Automattic, however, maintains that its actions are in line with its role as a steward of WordPress. In a statement, the company reiterated its commitment to “ensuring the safety and sustainability of the platform while upholding its open-source values.”
For WP Engine, the injunction represents a hard-fought victory but also a turning point. The company has framed the dispute as a test of WordPress’s commitment to fairness and collaboration. In its statement following the ruling, WP Engine wrote:
“This decision underscores the importance of accountability and transparency in the WordPress ecosystem. We will continue to advocate for policies that promote a healthy, thriving community.”
Balancing Community and Commercialization
The legal battle between Automattic and WP Engine is emblematic of the challenges facing open-source projects as they navigate the intersection of community-driven ideals and commercial realities. WordPress, with its dual identity as a collaborative platform and a commercial powerhouse, finds itself at the center of these tensions.
This case has already sparked discussions about potential reforms to WordPress.org’s governance, including proposals to create independent oversight bodies or introduce clearer guidelines for plugin management. Whether these changes come to fruition will likely depend on the outcome of this case and the broader community’s response to its implications.
As both companies prepare for a prolonged legal battle, the stakes extend beyond the courtroom. The decisions made in this case could shape the future of WordPress and set precedents for how open-source projects manage competing interests in an increasingly commercialized landscape.
