WP Engine Gets Legal Win

WP Engine won a preliminary injunction against Automatic (the WordPress.com parent company), forcing Automatic to stop blocking WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org resources and to stop interfering with WP Engine’s plugins. The ruling matters because WordPress.org functions like critical infrastructure for the WordPress ecosystem; when access is restricted or plugins are altered, thousands of sites can be disrupted at once—turning a technical dispute into an operational and business risk for hosting customers.

The conflict traces back to Automatic’s actions after WP Engine’s ACF plugin access was curtailed. WordPress.org reportedly shut off WP Engine’s ability to retrieve ACF from its npm-style repository, and Automatic also took control of WP Engine’s ACF plugin—releasing a version under the ACF name and slug that created confusion for users. WP Engine customers were reportedly required to check a box during login to confirm they were not affiliated with WP Engine, a step described as unusually aggressive and disruptive. Those measures reportedly persisted for months, prompting widespread backlash.

In court, WP Engine argued that Automatic’s conduct caused immediate and irreparable harm, including harm to business relationships and customer operations. Automatic and CEO Matt Mullenweg (referred to throughout as “Matt Mullen W”) had also launched a public campaign against WP Engine, accusing it of misusing the WordPress trademark and not contributing enough to the WordPress community. WP Engine’s lawsuit asked the court to prevent Mullenweg from restricting WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org resources.

Judge Araseli Martinez (spelled in the transcript as “araseli Martinez”) found WP Engine’s showing of irreparable harm persuasive enough to grant the preliminary injunction. The ruling required Automatic to restore access and functional capability for WP Engine’s customers and users, including steps such as removing the “not affiliated” checkbox and taking down a list of companies Automatic displayed on its site to track WP Engine customer departures. The transcript also notes that Automatic would need to remove the customer-tracking mechanism and reverse the login gate that singled out WP Engine.

Automatic responded with a post on X saying it was grateful for the injunction because it restores access and functionality, while also stating it looks forward to prevailing at trial. A spokesperson for Automatic, Megan Fox (as named in the transcript), told The Verge the company expects to win after “full fact discovery.”

Beyond the courtroom order, the transcript highlights a broader ecosystem concern: central points of control in software distribution create “one point of failure” risk. The discussion compares WordPress.org’s role to package repositories like npm, arguing that if a central authority can selectively block or alter access, trust erodes and the ecosystem must scramble for alternatives. While the injunction is temporary and the case is headed toward trial, the ruling is portrayed as a significant early check on Automatic’s ability to interfere with WP Engine’s plugin distribution and customer access—at least until a fuller merits review.