It’s odd to acquire texts like “is this WordPress drama crazy or is it being blown out of share”.

Throughout the 15 years of running WPBeginner, I not at all idea I will have to write a blog put up protecting any WordPress industry drama. My point of interest with the blog has all the time been to provide high quality unfastened WordPress tutorials for non-techy amateur shoppers and small business householders.

On the other hand unfortunately, we’re at some degree where a lot of mistaken knowledge and concern is being spread about WordPress by means of media outlets and influencers who’re hungry for clicks.

This is causing panic among some website householders, firms, along with people in endeavor firms. Any other individuals are asking questions like whether or not or no longer WordPress is still safe and will have to they search for an choice CMS possibility for their web websites.

In this put up, I want to give an explanation for what this latest WordPress drama is ready, who it impacts, and what you’ll be capable to do to protect your web websites. 

TLDR: No, this is NOT the top of WordPress, and your web websites are safe.

With that out of one of the best ways, let’s bounce right kind into what’s going down spherical this WordPress drama involving WP Engine vs. Automattic.

What’s This WordPress Drama All About? (Temporary Summary)

Speedy Summary: There’s a lawsuit between two WordPress firms (WP Engine and Automattic) spherical a trademark dispute. On account of their impact, there have been escalations that have resulted in a lot of destructive PR for the WordPress ecosystem. The vast majority of WordPress web sites are NOT impacted by means of this the least bit.

This whole issue started because of two massive firms inside the WordPress industry are in a jail combat over a trademark dispute.

Automattic is an organization started by means of WordPress co-founder, Matt Mullenweg. They’re the creators of WooCommerce, WordPress.com site internet hosting supplier, Jetpack plugin, and additional.

WP Engine is a controlled WordPress website hosting company owned by means of a large non-public equity corporate Silver Lake.

Automattic has the original business rights to use the “WordPress” trademark. They asked WP Engine to negotiate a licensing agreement which involved each expenses to Automattic OR higher contributions to the unfastened open provide WordPress problem.

For the reason that occasions failed to return again to an agreement, Matt publicized the dispute at the annual WordCamp US conference, where he claimed that WP Engine, without reference to being a $400M+ profits company, does no longer give once more enough to the unfastened open provide WordPress problem.

As problems escalated, every firms sent each other a right kind jail Prevent and Desist (C&D) letter. On account of the jail threats, Matt, as co-founder of WordPress, banned WP Engine from having access to WordPress.org servers.

This meant that any purchaser with web websites on WP Engine site internet hosting were no longer able to acquire updates from WordPress.org servers.

The ban used to be as soon as later reverted briefly to protect shoppers and allow WP Engine to build their own substitute servers. Since WordPress is open provide, the WP Engine workforce used to be as soon as able to build their own updater to ensure shoppers on their site internet hosting platform can get software updates.

The server block officially went once more into affect on October 1st. Shortly after, WP Engine filed a federal lawsuit against Automattic and Matt Mullenweg.

On account of the escalation, WP Engine’s workforce were banned from having access to their WordPress.org accounts. This means the WP Engine workforce isn’t able to release updates to their WordPress plugins from the original WordPress.org servers.

One of the vital plugins owned by means of WP Engine is Difficult Custom designed Fields (ACF) which is same old among developers and used by over 2 million web websites. To ensure protection updates are available to all shoppers, the WordPress.org workforce forked the ACF plugin, renamed it to Safe Custom designed Fields (SCF), and took over the original ACF plugin list internet web page without the consent of WP Engine. The reasons given for this were to take care of and provide updates to shoppers who’ve been unaware of the drama. 

This selection used to be as soon as no longer well received and garnered a lot of destructive comments from developers, influencers, and press outlets.

At the time of writing this put up, all other WP Engine plugins are however available for download on the WordPress.org plugin list, on the other hand, the WP Engine workforce is still banned, in order that they don’t appear to be able to use WordPress.org servers to issue updates.

In summary, at the root of this WordPress drama is a heated jail trademark dispute between WP Engine site internet hosting company, Automattic, and Matt Mullenweg (co-founder of WordPress). 

Since there’s a federal lawsuit filed by means of WP Engine against Automattic, I consider best the courts can decide the outcome till the occasions come to an amicable solution out of doors of the courts. The original WordPress Twitter account tweeted that the position may well be resolved beneath the following necessities:

If WP Engine dropped its court cases, apologized, and got in very good standing with its trademark use, you may well be welcome to have get right of entry to to the plugin list file.

Throughout the intervening time, Safe Custom designed Fields is an area plugin and open for contribution. Everyone knows you’ll be capable to’t log into .org…

— WordPress (@WordPress) October 14, 2024

Is this the End of WordPress?

The answer is NO. Utterly no longer.

WordPress powers over 43% of web websites on the net, and it’s better than any person explicit particular person or company. The vast majority of small business householders and shoppers of WordPress don’t even find out about this ongoing drama because it simply doesn’t impact them.

I talked with an area small business owner who’s my personal instructor, and he wasn’t acutely aware of the destructive press spherical WordPress the least bit. After I briefly suggested him about it, right here’s what he discussed:

“It’s no longer that i’m going to switch from WordPress because of some massive firms are having a trademark dispute. What problems to me is that my website is working and my business is emerging.” – Sean Nelson, Founder of Hustle Coaching 360.

In reality that the WordPress software you built your website with hasn’t changed.

For individuals who’re using same old plugins like Elementor, WPForms, WooCommerce, AIOSEO, Duplicator and in truth 60,000+ others, they’re however the equivalent.

Something as massive as WordPress simply doesn’t end because of two firms have a trademark dispute. 

Throughout the grand scheme of things, there are a small portion of shoppers who’re impacted, and I will be able to percentage the way you’ll be capable to find out if your website is impacted, and what you’ll be capable to do about it.  

Is My Web site Affected by All of This?

The vast majority of shoppers and websites using WordPress are NOT impacted by means of this jail dispute between Automattic and WP Engine.

In case you’re using a unfastened plugin that used to be as soon as advanced by means of WP Engine, and also you may well be NOT on their site internet hosting platform, then your web websites are impacted because of you’re going to no longer have the ability to download updates for those unfastened plugins from WordPress.org.

Listed here are the most popular unfastened plugins built by means of WP Engine which might be blocked from sending updates from WordPress.org servers:

• Difficult Custom designed Fields
• Nitropack
• Upper Search Change
• WP Migrate Lite
• WP Offload SES Lite
• Frost
• Genesis Blocks
• Genesis Custom designed Blocks
• For the total list, see plugins constructed via WP Engine.

What Can You Do to Protect Your WordPress Website online?

As I discussed earlier, if you’re no longer using the plugins made by means of WP Engine, then you definately don’t wish to do the rest.

Your WordPress internet website is safe and very good to go. 

Even though, I all the time recommend having common WordPress backups and using a firewall like Cloudflare (see extra WordPress safety guidelines).

Now, if you’re using the plugins built by means of WP Engine, then you will need to each arrange the WP Engine updater plugin to continue receiving updates or find some other, depending for your personal selection.

What Should I Do as a WordPress Corporate with Concerned clients?

You’ll send them a link to this blog put up and re-assure them that WordPress is still safe and by means of a ways the most productive open provide CMS chance to be had available in the market.

A jail trademark dispute between two firms does NOT business the fact that WordPress powers 43% of all web websites (and emerging). There are 60,000+ unfastened WordPress plugins and 1000’s of unfastened WordPress subjects available to be had available in the market that make it easy to build any type of website they would really like.

WordPress core construction building continues, and WordPress 6.7 is coming quickly.

Listed here are some additional insights on WordPress marketplace proportion and developments.

My Final Concepts

Irrespective of the entire thing that’s happening at the moment, I however love WordPress, and I consider in our excellent WordPress community.

I’ve spent more than a part of my lifestyles inside the WordPress community, and I will be able to continue to do the entire thing in my power to fortify the community and our shoppers. See my recent put up on contributing to the WordPress ecosystem.

In spite of everything, I truly hope that the two respected firms involved inside the lawsuit can come to an agreement briefly, so we can all point of interest on emerging WordPress and helping democratize publishing & business the world over.

As all the time, I need to thank you for your continued fortify of WPBeginner, and I sit down up for continuing serving you for years to come.

Yours Really,

Syed Balkhi
Founder of WPBeginner

References:

• WP Engine Stop & Desist Letter
• Automattic Stop & Desist Letter  
• WP Engine formal lawsuit against Automattic and Matt Mullenweg
• A whole list of observation on The WP Minute

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