WP Engine C&D Alleges “Coercive Threats” By Mullenweg via @sejournal, @martinibuster

WP Engine issued a cease and desist missive to Matt Mullenweg, demanding helium halt making ‘false, misleading, and disparaging statements’ and cease utilizing his presumption astatine WordPress.org to payment his for-profit company, Automattic. The missive refutes Mullenweg’s nationalist accusations and outlines his demands for tens of millions of dollars to debar taking a ‘nuclear approach’ against WP Engine.

A screenshot of a substance connection by Mullenweg states:

If you’re saying “next week” that’s saying “no”, truthful I volition proceed with the scorched world atomic attack to WPE

Thank you for the clarity, it gives maine clip to enactment connected things and hone my message.

WP Engine Cease And Desist

Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of the for-profit Automattic, posted connected Reddit and successful a Slack transmission that WordPress had initiated litigation against WordPress and himself. It was aboriginal revealed that WP Engine had successful information filed a Cease and Desist petition (C&D).

The C&D document, sent to the Automattic Chief Legal Officer, documents what it says are mendacious factual statements, outlines a timeline of events, and rebuts Mullenweg’s allegations, accusations and statements.

WP Engine makes 4 cardinal demands:

1. Cease Making False Factual Statements Regarding WP Engine.
2. Cease Interfering with WP Engine’s Contractual Relationships With its Employees.
3. Cease Interfering with WP Engine’s Contractual Relationships With its Customers
4. Preserve All Potentially Relevant Documents and Data.

Mullenweg Accused Of Serious Misconduct

Automattic is accused of “serious misconduct” toward WP Engine, laying retired its mentation of events including that Mullenweg threatened to instrumentality a “scorched world atomic approach” against WP Engine if it refused to hold to springiness Automattic tens of millions of dollars successful currency by 4:30 PM.

When the deadline for an statement was not met, the ineligible papers states that Mullenweg publically made disparaging remarks against WP Engine successful beforehand of a unrecorded audience, connected YouTube and connected blog posts connected the non-profit WordPress.org website.

In fact, Mullenweg’s posts were linked from the admin sheet of each WordPress tract astir the world, millions of websites.

Screenshot Of A WordPress Admin Panel

Accused Of Abusing His Privileged Position Of Power

WP Engine’s C&D accuses Mullenweg of abusing his unsocial presumption arsenic some the CEO of a rival (Automattic, Inc.) and arsenic a manager astatine the non-profit WordPress.org which produces the unfastened root WordPress contented absorption system.

The papers states:

“Mr. Mullenweg’s statements besides bespeak a wide maltreatment of his conflicting roles arsenic some (1) the Director of the non-profit WordPress Foundation, and (2) the CEO of astatine slightest 2 for-profit businesses that vie with WP Engine.

…Mr. Mullenweg’s covert request that WP Engine manus implicit tens of millions to his for-profit institution Automattic, portion publically masquerading arsenic an altruistic protector of the WordPress community, is disgraceful.”

List Of Disparaging Remarks Against WP Engine

WP Engine’s C&D documents each the remarks Mullenweg made:

• Encouragement of WordPress users to power distant from WP Engine
• Suggesting that WP Engine is retaliatory towards its employees
• Accusing WP Engine of misusing the trademarks
• Accusing WP Engine investors of not caring astir unfastened source
• Suggesting that WP Engine whitethorn beryllium retaliatory against ain employees

WP Engine’s C&D rebuts each allegation by Mullenweg, addressing each lawsuit constituent by point.

Among the rebuttals:

Rebuttal Of Accusation That WP Engine Contributes Little

“Even considering Mr. Mullenweg’s incorrect connection that publication is lone based connected hours worked and contributors to Five for the Future, Mr. Mullenweg falsely stated that WP Engine is failing connected this metric. In reality, WP Engine is ranked 30 retired of 189 successful hours contributed and 16 retired of 189 successful contributors, importantly outpacing aggregate different contributors comparative to our revenue.”

Rebuttal Of Trademark Misuse

“WP Engine’s usage of “WP” is explicitly permitted by WordPress Foundation’s trademark policy:

‘The abbreviation ‘WP’ is not covered by the WordPress trademarks and you are escaped to usage it successful immoderate mode you spot fit.’

Moreover, WP Engine’s usage of the WordPress people is wholly compliant with governing trademark law. For much than a decade, WP Engine has reasonably utilized that word to picture its services, arsenic different members of the WordPress ecosystem do.”

Speculation Of WP Engine Retaliation

“Is not conscionable mendacious and wholly unsubstantiated – it is besides absurd.”

What’s Next?

The adjacent determination appears to beryllium up to Mullenweg. Many member’s of the WordPress assemblage person already expressed astonishment astir what Mullenweg did and immoderate connected Reddit are calling for Mullenweg to measurement down.

Screenshot Of Call For Mullenweg To Step Down

Read the authoritative Cease and Desist here (PDF).