Matt is also on record criticizing WP Engine for never having donated to the WordPress Foundation.
This is all coming to light after the breakdown of licensing negotiations between Automattic and WPEngine
EDIT: https://www.therepository.email/mullenweg-threatens-corporat...
That’s… a very odd way of portraying this.
The policy, for like a decade, was:
“The abbreviation “WP” is not covered by the WordPress trademarks and you are free to use it in any way you see fit.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/Wordpress/comments/1foknoq/the_word...
Matt voices a number of grievances including WP Engine's changes to WordPress, their use of the term "WP", their donation/sponsorships, and more. At first glance they all seem a bit silly.
The important context, in my opinion, is that this comes after the breakdown of a licensing agreement between WP Engine and Automattic, an agreement that would've seen tens of millions of dollars paid to Automattic by WP Engine for a license that WP Engine does not think they need.
To put a point on it, none of the things WP Engine is accused of doing were problematic before the breakdown of licensing negotiations or the filing of WP Engine's lawsuit.
You can’t turn around and try to enforce that.
>You can’t turn around and try to enforce that.
I'm not sure what you mean. WordPress is quite clearly turning around and trying to enforce that.
It's a shakedown, the whole point is to force WP Engine back into licensing talks. A bulletproof legal foundation isn't necessary, just a legitimate complaint that can force WP Engine into court.
The main legal issues are around using "WordPress" and "WooCommerce"
Donate, perhaps. Sponsor? The Foundation event where Matt "went nuclear" last month was sponsored by WP Engine to the tune of $75,000. And was one of many donations this year.
(Adding insult to injury, the "independent" Foundation banned WP Engine from attending the event they were sponsoring... because they were in dispute with Automattic.)
Don't even start me on how "President of the WordPress Foundation, Matt Mullenweg", accepted their sponsorship check and then disinvited them from the event because they were in a conflict with "President of Automattic, Matt Mullenweg", and wouldn't even return the sponsorship check. In essence, if nothing else, that makes it a donation, because they sponsored the event, but got nothing for their sponsorship except knowing they... uhh... contributed to the community.