Re:Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charl...
by metamichael on Thursday October 03, 2024 @01:34AM
(#41727634)
WordPress Foundation: Owns the trademark
Automattic: Owns the commercial right to use and sell the license
This is done because the WordPress Foundation is non-profit. The legal intricacies of this have been worked out a long time ago. You want to use the WordPress license? Then you'll have to buy it from Automattic.
If those trademarks are asserted to be worth billions, there are presumably reporting and tax obligations for both the ownership transfer and the licence grant agreement.