In this episode, John James Jacoby and I discuss Adobe’s acquisition of Magento, feedback regarding WordPress 4.9.6, when 4.9.7 might ship, an unofficial WordCamp app for iOS, and whether or not it’s time for WordPress auto updates to occur for every version. I describe what it’s like having poison ivy on my face and my…
In this episode, John James Jacoby and I are joined by David Peralty. Peralty is a prolific writer with more than 30K articles published online for various media outlets. He also co-hosted WordPress Weekly episodes 41-75 in 2009. We discuss the rise and evolution of blog networks over the years, the current state of WordPress…
In July 2015, Automattic won its Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) case against Chris Pearson regarding Thesis.com after the panel determined that he failed to establish all three elements required under the ICANN Policy. A party must satisfy all three of the burdens imposed under the Policy in order for the Panel to order transfer…
In this episode of WordPress Weekly, Marcus Couch and I are joined by Andrea Middleton, who works at Automattic as a Community Organizer for the WordPress open source project. We discuss a number of topics including, updates to the WordCamp Central website, the for-profit subsidiary, and the experimental WordCamp incubator program. At the conclusion of…
When Automattic acquired WooThemes in 2015, it gained employees, plugins, themes, and the company’s trademarks. These trademarks include, standard character marks, logos, and specific graphics such as the Verified WooExpert badges. One of the responsibilities of a trademark owner is to protect it from infringement. WooGPL is a service that provides customers with commercial themes,…
Earlier this year, the WordPress Foundation sued Jeff Yablon for trademark infringement. The Foundation wanted Yablon to stop using its trademarks, dismiss the opposition proceeding, pay the foundation for any profits related to use of the WordPress trademarks, pay up to $100,000 per infringing domain name, transfer the domains and pay other fees and damages.…
In a post titled “The Truth About Thesis.com,” Chris Pearson responded to the recent heated discussions about his legal battle with Automattic over the Thesis.com domain and related trademarks. His public response revives a five-year old licensing disagreement. “I think the most important place to start is by asking: Why would Automattic—a website software company…
First reported by Domain Name Wire, Automattic has won their Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) case against Chris Pearson. UDRP requests are a process established by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for the resolution of disputes regarding the registration of internet domain names. Automattic Wins Thesis.com According to findings by the…
Jaff Yablon, who owns and operates The WordPress Helpers, is being sued by the WordPress Foundation for trademark infringement. Reported first by Domain Name Wire, the WordPress Foundation wants Yablon to stop using its trademarks, dismiss the opposition proceeding, pay the foundation for any profits related to use of the WordPress trademarks, pay up to…
Chris Lema published an interview with Carl Hancock of RocketGenius, where he shares his thoughts on why trademarks are important and how they help protect a brand’s identity. While you can register trademarks yourself, Hancock suggests working with a lawyer who knows intellectual property law and does it for a living. It’s not simple and…
While reading press releases about new WordPress services or plugins, I’ll occasionally discover that their website uses the full term of WordPress in their domain name. According to the domain policy, this is a violation of the WordPress trademark unless they have explicit permission. A couple days ago, I came across one such site which…