Visit legal battle between WP Engine and Automattic has just experienced a major turning point.
Visit September 12, 2025, Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín (Northern District of California) simply dismissed the most serious charges against Automattic and Matt Mullenweg These include abuse of monopoly, antitrust violations and attempted extortion. As a’WordPress hosting specialist, We're keeping a close eye on it.
Back to the drama
A quick reminder of the facts. It all began at WordCamp US 2024, when Matt Mullenweg publicly criticized WP Engine, accusing the company of generating nearly $450 million a year from WordPress... while contributing virtually nothing in return. Atmosphere.
An escalation of tensions followed: legal threats, WP Engine blocking on WordPress.org, cross-complaints. In October 2024, WP Engine sued Automattic on no less than 20 counts (including «monopolization», «extortion» and even «cyber attacks»).
But here we are, a year later, the federal court has cleared the field The most explosive accusations are dropped for lack of solid evidence.
An immediate reaction from Matt Mullenweg
Matt himself (founder of WordPress) wasted no time in react on his blog same day :
«I've just learned that the court has dismissed several of WP Engine and Silver Lake's most serious charges - antitrust, monopoly and extortion have been swept aside! These were by far the most important and far-reaching allegations in this case, and with today's decision, the case is significantly reduced. This is a victory not only for us, but for all open source maintainers and contributors. A huge thank you to the Gibson and Automattic teams who worked on this.
As for the remaining charges, we are confident that the facts will show that our actions were legal and in the best interest of the WordPress community. [...] »
Matt Mullenweg - Blog post from September 12, 2025 - French translation
In short: the biggest legal threats to Automattic have been averted. This is a real relief for the entire WordPress ecosystem.
What's left on the table
But the trial is not over yet. Other accusations continue:
- interference in WP Engine's business relations,
- under California law,
- violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (cyber attack),
- libel (libel and slander).
In short, there's more to come. But let's be clear: the threats that could have really upset the future of WordPress are behind us.
Summary of charges and statutes
We had an AI analyze the official court document to generate this table:
| Accusation | Results |
|---|---|
| Antitrust (monopoly, attempted monopoly, illegal tying) | ❌ Rejected - lack of evidence and no defined relevant market. |
| Extortion (California Penal Code) | ❌ Rejected definitively - not recognized as a civil action |
| Trademark misuse | ❌ Rejected - can only be used as a defense at a later date |
| Computer extortion (CFAA §1030(a)(7)) | ❌ Rejected (can be corrected) - threats ≠ extortion in the legal sense |
| Computer damage (CFAA §1030(a)(5), ACF → SCF case) | ✅ Accepted - charges deemed plausible |
| Interference with contracts and commercial relations | ✅ Accepted - “wrongful acts” sufficient |
| Unfair trade practices (UCL California) | ✅ Accepted - based on active violations |
| Defamation (libel, trade libel, slander) | ✅ Accepted - still to be analyzed from the anti-SLAPP angle |
| Unjust enrichment | ✅ Accepted - complaint deemed plausible |
A victory for the WordPress community
The message is clear: WordPress remains solid, and the project's governance is holding firm. As Matt says:
«This decision is an important step, but our priority remains the same: to build a free, open and thriving WordPress ecosystem, and to support the millions of people who use it every day.»
Matt Mullenweg - Blog post from September 12, 2025 - French translation
You can criticize Matt for his outspokenness and his outbursts, but the fact remains that he's fighting to protect the open source project. At this stage, confidence is high: WordPress is not about to be destabilized by a competitor, no matter how big.
And we at LRob
As a specialized hosting provider, we're following this drama with a passion, because it touches directly on the ecosystem we run every day.
Our conviction is simple: WordPress is here to stay. optimized hosting to make the most of it.
For reinforced concrete performance and safety, welcome to LRob.
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