Automattic demanded a cut of WP Engine’s revenue before starting WordPress battle

Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, asked rival hosting service WP Engine to hand over 8 percent of its revenue each month before igniting a very public battle over what you can and can’t do with an open-source project.

On Wednesday, Automattic published the proposed deal that it sent to WP Engine on September 20th. The proposal lays out a seven-year agreement that gives WP Engine the right to use the WordPress trademark in exchange for a hefty payment. The 8 percent cut could either be paid as a royalty fee to Automattic or as salaries for WP Engine employees who would contribute to the WordPress.org open-source project.

If WP Engine chose to pay a royalty fee, Automattic said it would publicly attribute part of its…

Continue reading…