We’re keenly conscious of the impression current occasions have had on the WordPress neighborhood and ecosystem, and we’re deeply grateful to the various companions and clients who’ve stood by WP Engine and belief us to serve you within the face of unprecedented and unwarranted assaults and makes an attempt to disrupt our platform.
WP Engine’s prime precedence has at all times been and stays the integrity, safety, availability and efficiency of our instruments, and we are going to proceed to take the decisive steps needed to make sure we will proceed to ship the enterprise-grade expertise we’re dedicated to constructing.
Whether or not as a buyer, an company associate, or a valued member of the WordPress neighborhood we’re dedicated to conserving you up to date on the most recent developments. With that in thoughts, we’d wish to share the next timeline of our most up-to-date actions and statements:
December 10, 2024: Preliminary injunction granted
On December 10, 2024, the Courtroom issued a ruling granting our request to revive entry to and performance of wordpress.org for WP Engine, its clients and its customers.
Particularly, the Courtroom ordered Mullenweg and Automattic to take sure actions, together with:
- Restore full entry to wordpress.org, together with the api, plugin and theme directories, and repository to WP Engine and its workers, associates, companions and clients;
- Take away the test field on wordpress.org’s login web page that requires customers to affirm no affiliation with WP Engine; and
- Re-establish management over the plugins and extensions we handle.
We’re grateful that the Courtroom has granted our movement for a preliminary injunction. The order will carry again much-needed stability to the WordPress ecosystem. WP Engine is concentrated on serving our companions and clients and dealing with the neighborhood to search out methods to make sure a vigorous, and thriving WordPress neighborhood. You may view the Courtroom’s order in full right here.
November 14, 2024: Amended authorized criticism
On November 14, WP Engine amended and expanded our preliminary criticism to incorporate antitrust claims introduced beneath legal guidelines designed to guard competitors and customers, in addition to further new claims arising from Matt Mullenweg and Automattic’s continued sample of misconduct.
You may view the amended criticism in full, right here.
October 18, 2024: Request for preliminary injunction
On October 18, WP Engine filed a movement for a preliminary injunction, requesting that the court docket order Matt Mullenweg and Automattic to cease their dangerous actions instantly and act to protect the established order ante whereas the case is being litigated.
We sought speedy court docket motion to attenuate or stop any additional interference with WP Engine’s entry to the WordPress neighborhood, together with WordPress.org and the plugin and theme listing and repository, and to re-establish management over the plugins and extensions we handle as they existed earlier than September 20, 2024. The requested injunction additionally seeks to supply safety and certainty for WP Engine’s companions, workers, customers, and clients, and demand the restoration of any restricted or altered entry or operations. You may view the injunction request in full, right here.
October 16, 2024: E-mail to clients
On October 16, WP Engine CEO, Heather Brunner emailed clients to deal with issues about current occasions and description the actions we’ve taken to make sure platform stability and safety.
The letter, which you’ll be able to learn right here, emphasizes our dedication to defending clients and supporting the continued success of the open-source WordPress neighborhood.
October 12, 2024: ACF takeover
On October 12, WordPress.org forcibly took management of our Superior Customized Fields (ACF) plugin, marking the primary time in WordPress’s 21-year historical past {that a} plugin beneath energetic improvement was taken over with out consent.
Whereas ACF Professional customers stay unaffected, free customers are suggested to obtain the most recent model of ACF from advancedcustomfields.com for safe updates. The ACF workforce launched the following assertion relating to the takeover:
Since 2011, our ACF workforce has actively developed the plugin, evolving it right into a extremely subtle answer with over 200,000 traces of code. Our steady work to boost, assist, and put money into the plugin has made it a vital a part of the WordPress ecosystem, relied on by tens of millions of customers.
The compelled takeover changed the ACF plugin with unapproved code, breaking from customary protocol and elevating issues about management, governance, and the motives behind such a transfer. WP Engine continues to actively develop the real model of ACF and supply assist and updates which could be downloaded at www.advancedcustomfields.com, and can mechanically replace as soon as downloaded.
October 9, 2024: New checkbox on WordPress.org
On October 9, WordPress.org added a brand new checkbox to its login and registration course of, requiring customers to claim that they’re “not affiliated with WP Engine.”
The unclear assertion subsequent to the test field has left many bewildered—each as as to whether and the way they need to reply it and as to why it’s there. We imagine that the checkbox is complicated and disturbing to many and that none of our clients, company companions, open-source device customers, or members of the neighborhood, are legally ‘associates’ of WP Engine. WP Engine launched the following assertion relating to the checkbox:
October 7, 2024: Safe Updater plugin
On October 7, we launched the WP Engine Safe Updater plugin, which at present helps updates for all of our open-source plugins and permits us to help different plugin or theme builders locally on request.
Putting in the Safe Updater is non-obligatory and precautionary, and this free-to-everyone plugin has been developed for customers self-hosting, or hosted outdoors of the WP Engine platform—detailed directions can be found right here.
Be aware: WP Engine and Flywheel managed clients are already protected by the WP Engine replace system and don’t must take any motion.
October 3, 2024: Unbiased replace capabilities
On October 3, we launched new variations of our extensively used plugins, that includes unbiased replace capabilities and updates delivered instantly from WP Engine.
Whereas WP Engine and Flywheel clients are already protected by the WP Engine replace system and don’t must take any motion, neighborhood members are inspired to obtain these variations of our free, open-source plugins and updates instantly from the ACF and NitroPack web sites to make sure they obtain updates instantly from us.
Be aware: ACF PRO clients are mechanically protected by the WP Engine replace system and don’t must take any motion.
For those who’re working v6.3.2 or earlier of ACF, or have been forcibly switched to “Safe Customized Fields” with out your consent, you’ll be able to set up ACF 6.3.8 instantly from the ACF web site, or observe these directions to repair the problem.
These efforts assist our clients and plugin customers and search to guard the neighborhood at giant.
October 2, 2024: Graduation of authorized motion
On October 2, WP Engine took authorized motion in opposition to Matt Mullenweg and Automattic to deal with their persevering with misconduct and shield our enterprise, our clients, and our participation within the broader neighborhood. The criticism could be learn right here and WP Engine launched the following assertion relating to the choice to file a lawsuit:
September 30, 2024: Plugin and theme replace answer
On September 30, following interruptions to WordPress.org, and instability within the companies used to replace WordPress web sites, we deployed an answer to all websites throughout the WP Engine and Flywheel platforms, that permits clients to make use of their regular workflows and obtain plugin and theme updates with out counting on the WordPress.org API.
The answer was launched after WordPress.org was as soon as once more blocked for 1000’s of WordPress customers. WP Engine launched the following assertion relating to the block and our answer:
This answer permits WP Engine and Flywheel clients to make use of their most well-liked workflows with out concern of additional disruption or delays.
September 27, 2024: Short-term entry restored
On September 27, WP Engine was given three days to develop an answer to assist its clients replace plugins and themes, and entry to WordPress.org was quickly restored. We launched the following assertion relating to our restored entry:
WP Engine engineers labored across the clock on an answer for the reliability of replace performance and workflows. Their work was very important to extend resilience, scale back dependencies, and supply improved stability and safety from additional disruptions.
September 25, 2024: WP Engine blocked from WordPress.org
On September 25, WP Engine was blocked from accessing plugin and theme updates on the WordPress.org repository. This compelled WP Engine clients to replace plugins and themes manually or search different options.
Whereas Matt Mullenweg asserted that he took this motion as a result of WP Engine had filed litigation in opposition to WordPress.org, this was unfaithful. Our prior cease-and-desist letter was not a lawsuit—and it was directed at Automattic on account of Matt Mullenweg’s sample of repeated misconduct. WP Engine launched the following assertion in response to the blocked entry:
September 23, 2024: “Stop and desist” letter
On September 23, WP Engine despatched a “stop and desist” letter to Automattic demanding that Automattic and its CEO Matt Mullenweg cease making and retract false, dangerous, and disparaging statements about WP Engine. Whilst you can learn the complete letter right here, it was initially despatched privately. We additionally launched the following assertion relating to our letter, after Matt Mullenweg made numerous inaccurate statements about it:
After our cease-and-desist letter was despatched, Automattic despatched a cease-and-desist letter to WP Engine, alleging infringement of a number of emblems, together with WordPress and WooCommerce. WP Engine denies these allegations as set forth in our Grievance.
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