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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOn December 10, 2024, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín issued a preliminary injunction requiring Automattic, Matt Mullenweg and covered representatives to restore and maintain WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org and to stop specified interference with WP Engine plugins. The order was a substantial interim win for WP Engine, not a final judgment on the companies’ broader trademark, competition and open-source-governance disputes.
As of August 18, 2026, the lawsuit remained active. WP Engine reported that it had filed a third amended complaint, completed discovery and faced further motion hearings; those procedural details come from WP Engine’s own litigation update, not a final ruling resolving the case.
What the judge actually ordered
The order in WPEngine, Inc. v. Automattic Inc. et al., case no. 3:24-cv-06917-AMO, covered Automattic, Mullenweg and their officers, agents, employees, attorneys and people acting in concert with them. It prohibited three main categories of conduct:
- Blocking access: Defendants could not block, disable or interfere with WP Engine’s or related users’ access to WordPress.org.
- Interfering with plugins: Defendants could not interfere with WP Engine’s control over plugins or extensions hosted on WordPress.org that WP Engine developed, published or maintained, including relevant historical listings.
- Unauthorized automated changes: Defendants could not use auto-migration or auto-update commands to delete, overwrite, disable or modify WP Engine plugins without express authorization.
The court granted relief with modifications rather than adopting every term WP Engine requested. The operative order is available from the federal docket copy and an alternative PDF copy.
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Why WordPress.org access mattered
WordPress.org is more than a promotional website. Its repository and related services can support plugin downloads, updates, security fixes, installation workflows and hosting-management features. A host or site owner that relies on those channels may be affected if access, listings or update mechanisms are disrupted.
The injunction did not mean that all WordPress sites stopped working. Effects depended on the particular plugin, cached files, hosting configuration, update path and whether a customer used WP Engine’s managed services. The order’s practical importance was preserving continuity for WP Engine’s business, customers and plugin ecosystem while the claims were litigated.
How the dispute escalated
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| September 20, 2024 | The conflict intensified around WordCamp US and public criticism of WP Engine’s contributions, branding and ownership. |
| Late September 2024 | WP Engine alleged that Automattic and Mullenweg restricted WordPress.org access and interfered with plugins, including Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). Those allegations were disputed. |
| October 2024 | WP Engine sought emergency relief. Automattic argued that WP Engine had no automatic right to continued WordPress.org services and could host plugins independently. |
| December 10, 2024 | Judge Martínez-Olguín issued the preliminary injunction, with modifications. |
| August 13, 2025 | The court denied motions to intervene, for contempt and for an order to show cause. |
| September 12, 2025 | The court ruled on Automattic’s motion to dismiss, dismissing or limiting some theories while allowing other allegations to proceed. |
| October 24, 2025 | Automattic filed counterclaims concerning WP Engine’s alleged use of WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks. |
| February–July 2026 | WP Engine reported an amended complaint, completed discovery, discovery-related hearings and further motion practice. |
The public docket is available at Justia’s case page.
What the two sides say
WP Engine’s position
WP Engine says defendants disrupted WordPress.org access, interfered with plugin distribution and updates, and used control over WordPress infrastructure to harm a commercial rival. It also alleges pressure connected to payments, trademarks and contributions to the WordPress project. These are litigation allegations; the injunction did not adjudicate every one of them.
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Automattic’s defense
Automattic’s opposition argued that WordPress.org and Automattic are distinct from the open-source WordPress software; that WP Engine had no contractual entitlement to continued access to WordPress.org services; that WP Engine could host plugins independently; and that the requested injunction was too broad. The filing is available at Automattic’s opposition.
Trademark, competition and contribution disputes
The case also involves whether WP Engine’s use of “WordPress,” “WP” and related branding is lawful or misleading; whether Automattic’s conduct unfairly harmed a competing managed-hosting company; and how much commercial participants should contribute to the WordPress project. Claims that Mullenweg demanded 8% of WP Engine’s revenue appear in later allegations and filings and remain disputed; they are not an adjudicated fact.
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WordPress software, WordPress.org, WordPress.com, Automattic and the WordPress Foundation have distinct roles. Treating them as one organization obscures the legal and operational questions before the court.
Why the court granted interim relief
A preliminary injunction is designed to prevent irreparable harm and preserve an existing operating condition while a case proceeds. The court considered whether loss of WordPress.org access could disrupt customer websites, plugin updates and business relationships in ways that money damages might not adequately repair. It also considered whether the requested order largely preserved the prior condition rather than creating a permanent new entitlement, and whether continuity served the public interest of WordPress users.
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Those findings explain the interim restrictions; they do not establish that WP Engine will win at trial or that Automattic is liable on every claim.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What customers should understand
Customers using WP Engine, ACF or automated WordPress update workflows were among those most directly concerned. The injunction protected access and plugin-related operations, but it did not guarantee that every plugin, site or customer would experience identical results.
- Keep off-site backups and periodically test restoration.
- Maintain a complete plugin inventory and identify critical security updates.
- Use a staging site before production updates and retain rollback points.
- Know how to update critical plugins manually if a repository or host workflow fails.
- Export databases and media files so migration is possible without a single provider.
- Review support escalation, data-export and termination terms in your hosting contract.
What plugin developers and hosts can learn
Plugin developers
- Maintain an independent, lawful distribution channel and documented update URL.
- Sign and verify packages, document rollback procedures and preserve release archives.
- Clarify ownership and maintenance rights when a listing or project changes hands.
- Keep trademark permissions separate from copyright and distribution rights.
Hosting companies
- Assess dependence on a single repository or ecosystem gatekeeper.
- Provide secure fallback update and recovery procedures.
- Communicate restrictions without causing avoidable customer outages.
- Review whether repository access terms create competition, governance or contractual risk.
What happened after the injunction
On August 13, 2025, the court denied later motions to intervene, for contempt and for an order to show cause. On September 12, 2025, it narrowed some claims and defenses through its ruling on Automattic’s motion to dismiss. Automattic filed counterclaims on October 24, 2025, describing WP Engine’s alleged misuse of WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks and related goodwill.
WP Engine’s July 8, 2026 update says its third amended complaint was filed February 10, discovery concluded May 14, discovery hearings occurred in late May and motions to dismiss were scheduled for argument on June 25. The same update says the injunction restored WP Engine’s access to and control of ACF. Those descriptions are party-reported procedural updates, not a final neutral merits decision. The update is at WP Engine’s litigation-status page.
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- It is a preliminary injunction, not a final judgment.
- WP Engine won meaningful protection for WordPress.org access and specified plugin operations.
- Automattic was restrained from defined conduct, not ordered to give WP Engine everything it requested.
- The order did not change WordPress’s open-source license or decide ownership of the entire WordPress ecosystem.
- The underlying disputes over trademarks, competition, governance and commercial contribution continued into 2026.
The Bottom Line
WP Engine secured substantial interim relief on December 10, 2024: Automattic and related parties were ordered to preserve WordPress.org access and stop specified plugin interference. That protected customers and developers from immediate disruption, but it was not a final victory. The lawsuit and its broader fight over infrastructure power, trademarks and WordPress governance were still unresolved as of August 18, 2026.
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