The WordPress community is reeling from a heated dispute between WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine, a popular hosting service for WordPress websites. At the center of the controversy is a trademark dispute, with Mullenweg accusing WP Engine of misusing the WordPress trademark and confusing users into thinking they are affiliated with the open-source project.

The drama began when Mullenweg wrote a blog post calling WP Engine a "cancer to WordPress" and accusing them of disabling revision history to save money. WP Engine responded with a cease-and-desist letter, claiming Mullenweg's comments were defamatory. The situation escalated when Mullenweg banned WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources, affecting thousands of websites and sparking outrage from the community.

The dispute has raised questions about the control and governance of open-source projects, with some developers expressing concerns about relying on commercial products related to WordPress. The community is calling for clarification on how they can use the WordPress trademark, and the WordPress Foundation has filed to trademark "Managed WordPress" and "Hosted WordPress," sparking fears of further restrictions.

The legal battle is ongoing, with WP Engine suing Automattic and Mullenweg over abuse of power and alleging that they didn't keep their promises to run WordPress open source projects without constraints. The case has far-reaching implications for the tech and startup community, highlighting the complexities of open-source software and the importance of community governance.