““We will be using a multi-pronged strategy that will involve some additional trademark registrations … legal cease-and-desist letters, and a formal paid licensing program for the partners,” Sieminski noted.”
Automattic’s then-chief legal officer wrote the plan in January 2024, long before the WP Engine fight went public. In July the WordPress Foundation, a nonprofit, filed for “Managed WordPress” and “Hosted WordPress” trademarks, and Mullenweg told TechCrunch he did not know who filed them. The memo calls WooCommerce enforcement “easier and cleaner because it’s less of a community asset.” The nonprofit holds the trademark and the for-profit holds the plan.