Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the Northern California District Court has granted WP Engine’s motion for a preliminary injunction against Automattic and Matt Mullenweg. The ruling follows a November 26, 2024, hearing where the judge expressed an inclination to approve WP Engine’s request for injunction. Both parties were directed to collaborate on a stipulated order, but having failed to reach an agreement, they submitted competing proposals on December 2, 2024.
The Court directed Automattic and Matt Mullenweg to immediately stop:
Blocking or interfering with WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org. Disrupting WP Engine’s control over its plugins hosted on WordPress.org. Interfering with WP Engine-related WordPress installations via unauthorized auto-migration or updates.
Also within 72 hours, Automattic and Matt must:
Remove WP Engine customer data from the “domains.csv” file on the WP Engine Tracker website. Restore WP Engine’s WordPress.org access, including employee login credentials, to the state of September 20, 2024. Remove the mandatory checkbox on the WordPress.org login page. Reinstate WP Engine’s access to the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin.
In granting the injunction, the Court evaluated the four Winter elements.
Success on the Merits: The Court found that WPEngine is likely to succeed on the merits of its intentional interference with contractual relations claim and Automattic’s arguments do not compel a different conclusion.
Irreparable Harm: The court determined that WP Engine’s evidence of harm, including the loss of a $40,000 client contract, was persuasive. Defendants countered with four arguments but “None is persuasive.” The court accepted that WPEngine will suffer irreparable harm without preliminary injunctive relief.
Balance of Equities: Banning WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org, taking over ACF plugin, and the additional burdens imposed on WPEngine’s customers demonstrates that WPEngine has a significant interest in obtaining preliminary injunctive relief and Automattic’s arguments in opposition do not establish