News The latest on the WordPress fight over trademarks and open source

[News]

In late September, Automattic CEO and WordPress cofounder Matt Mullenweg started a public dispute with the hosting provider WP Engine, calling the company “a cancer to WordPress.” He accused WP Engine of not contributing enough to the WordPress ecosystem and profiting off of trademark confusion. As a result, WP Engine was blocked from accessing WordPress.org’s servers.

Automattic has since sent a cease and desist order to WP Engine to stop it from using its trademarks, while WP Engine has followed up with a lawsuit that accuses Automattic and Mullenweg of extortion.

The series of events set off a public battle that calls into question the boundaries between WordPress.com host Automattic, the WordPress open-source project, and the nonprofit that’s behind it.

Here’s all the latest news so far.

• A new lawsuit alleges Automattic must keep WordPress free.
• Matt Mullenweg lashes out at some WordPress contributors.
• Automattic cuts WordPress contribution hours, blames WP Engine
• Matt Mullenweg says it’s “hard to imagine” wanting to work on WordPress after WP Engine ruling.
• WordPress parent company must stop blocking WP Engine, judge rules
• WordPress.com’s owner launched a tracker for sites leaving WP Engine.
• WordPress cofounder asks court to dismiss WP Engine’s lawsuit
• WordPress reportedly asks WordCamp organizers to delete posts that “don’t align” with its views.
• “WordPress.org is not WordPress.”
• WP Engine asks court to stop Matt Mullenweg from blocking access to WordPress resources
• Automattic offered employees another chance to quit over WordPress drama
• Matt Mullenweg responds to David Heinemeier Hansson in their “respectful debate.”
• WordPress.org’s latest move involves taking control of a WP Engine plugin
• “Automattic is completely out of line, and the potential damage to the open source world extends far beyond WordPress,”
• The latest volley in the WordPress beef:
• Matt Mullenweg: ‘WordPress.org just belongs to me’
• WordPress cofounder is paying employees to leave if they disagree with him
• The ‘WordPress’ fight is now a lawsuit
• Automattic demanded a cut of WP Engine’s revenue before starting WordPress battle
• The messy WordPress drama, explained
• WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg calls WP Engine a “cancer.”