WordPress cofounder Matt Mullenweg and his company Automattic have asked a court to dismiss WP Engine’s lawsuit accusing them of libel and extortion. In a filing on Wednesday, Mullenweg argues that WP Engine is conjuring claims “out of legal thin air,” while alleging it continues to use the WordPress trademark “in unauthorized ways.”
- Home
- Technology
- News
WordPress co-founder asks court to dismiss WP Engine’s lawsuit
WordPress cofounder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has filed a motion to dismiss WP Engine’s lawsuit against it.


Earlier this month, the third-party WordPress hosting service WP Engine filed a lawsuit against Automattic and Mullenweg after the executive embarked on a “scorched earth nuclear” campaign against it. In addition to accusing WP Engine of trademark infringement, Mullenweg claimed the service doesn’t contribute enough to the open-source WordPress.org project, which Mullenweg also controls. WordPress.org also cut off WP Engine’s access to its resources and later took over one of its most popular plugins.
As noted in the filing, Mullenweg claims he has “no obligation to provide” WordPress.org’s resources to WP Engine. “The mere fact that WP Engine made the risky decision to base its growing business on a site to which it has no rights or guarantee of access, without making backup plans, is not enough for it to conjure a claim out of legal thin air,” the filing reads.
Mullenweg goes on to claim WP Engine has “chosen without justification to attack Automattic and Matt,” despite allegedly having “no legal (or moral) rights” to WordPress.org’s free services.
This very public spat has raised concerns among developers across the WordPress ecosystem who now worry whether they, too, could get cut off from WordPress. But Mullenweg doesn’t seem too worried about the impact. During an interview at TechCrunch’s Disrupt event on Wednesday, Mullenweg said his fight against WP Engine is “obviously” worth the risk.
A hearing for WP Engine’s case against WordPress is currently scheduled for next March.

Alcaraz, Sinner, Sabalenka favored at Wimbledon
- 4 hours ago

What we're hearing in the transfer window: Liverpool turn to Hato; Arsenal to make moves?
- 4 hours ago

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo would feel right at home on your GBA
- 5 hours ago

Austria could be a turning point for Norris' F1 title charge
- 4 hours ago

A nasal spray company wants to make it harder for the FTC to police health claims
- 5 hours ago

Dominant on the pitch and in the stands, Palmeiras upend Brazil rivals Botafogo for CWC quarters berth
- 4 hours ago

Logitech says all its webcams work with Nintendo Switch 2 — save one
- 5 hours ago

Angels' Washington to miss remainder of season
- 4 hours ago

Petrol, diesel prices increase in Emirates too
- an hour ago

Is Jake Paul ready for a world title fight? Who is his best option?
- 4 hours ago

Torrential rain in Islamabad, Rawalpindi
- an hour ago

Govt surges prices of petroleum products
- 2 hours ago