WordPress 6.9 Beta Testing, Trademark Drama, and WordCamp Costs | WP More - Issue 30
New beta release, Automattic's trademark disputes heat up, and the hidden costs of WordCamps revealed.
Hello WordPressers!
Welcome to this month’s WPMore newsletter issue 30,
WordPress 6.9 is shaping up to be a significant release with expanded template management, new blocks, and AI integrations on the horizon. But the community’s attention has been divided, trademark disputes involving Automattic are making waves, and important conversations about WordCamp sustainability are heating up. Here’s what you need to know this week.
In this Issue:
WordPress 6.9 Beta 2 Is Ready for Your Feedback
Automattic Sends Trademark Notice to AutomaticCSS Creator
WordPress Foundation and WooCommerce Join WP Engine Countersuit
The Hidden Costs of Your WordCamp Ticket
Matt Mullenweg on AI, Playground, and the WordPress Roadmap
WordPress 6.9 Beta 2 Is Ready for Your Feedback
WordPress 6.9 Beta 2 arrived this week, bringing the December 2 release one step closer. This update includes over 33 editor improvements and bug fixes since Beta 1, with 28 core tickets closed. Testing betas is how they catch bugs before millions of sites upgrade, so your participation matters.
The 6.9 release brings meaningful updates: multiple templates per slug, Notes for block-level collaboration, new Accordion and Math blocks, an expanded Command Palette across the dashboard, and the new Abilities API for AI integrations. Performance improvements include reduced CSS in classic themes, better caching, and optimized script loading.
Key features to test:
Draft and activate/deactivate templates without publishing immediately
Hide blocks on the frontend while keeping them editable
New drag-and-drop behavior (blocks move instead of copy)
You can test via the WordPress Beta Tester plugin, direct download, WP-CLI, or WordPress Playground (no setup required). Report issues to the Alpha/Beta support forums or WordPress Trac if you’re comfortable writing bug reports.
The admin redesign originally planned for this release has been postponed, and for the first time in seven years, WordPress 6.9 won’t ship with a new default theme.
Read the full report on The Repository Here.
This sets the stage for the legal and community challenges that have complicated development this year.
Automattic Sends Trademark Notice to AutomaticCSS Creator
Automattic has sent a legal notice to Kevin Geary, creator of Automatic.css, over name similarity. The letter from law firm Morgan Lewis claims that “Automatic” is “nearly identical” to “Automattic” and could confuse users, especially since both target WordPress developers. Automattic became a registered trademark in 2016.
Kevin shared the letter publicly on X (formerly Twitter), sparking debate. Matt Mullenweg responded that Automattic also owns automatic.com, making this “a fraught naming area.” Kevin countered that “AutomaticCSS” is called “automatic” because the framework automates many tasks, and owning a domain for a generic term doesn’t make it off-limits.
The twist? Back in July 2024, Matt had asked Kevin to add a disclaimer clarifying that AutomaticCSS wasn’t affiliated with Automattic. Kevin agreed, and the site’s footer still carries that note. Despite this, Automattic escalated with a formal legal notice requesting a rebrand.
Community reactions are split:
Some see it as overreach—”Nobody’s confusing Automattic with a CSS framework”
Others argue Kevin should have chosen a different name from the start
A trademark lawyer called Automattic’s claim “baseless” and unlikely to hold up in court
Whether you see this as trademark protection or unnecessary drama, it’s a reminder that naming WordPress products requires careful consideration of the ecosystem’s major players.
Read the full report on wp-content.co Here.
Speaking of legal battles, Automattic isn’t done yet.
WordPress Foundation and WooCommerce Join WP Engine Countersuit
The WordPress Foundation and WooCommerce have officially joined Automattic and Matt Mullenweg in countersuing WP Engine for trademark infringement, false advertising, and unfair competition. Filed October 23, the counterclaims accuse WP Engine of calling itself “The WordPress Technology Company” and allowing others to call it “WordPress Engine” to mislead consumers.
The filing alleges WP Engine’s trademark use increased after Silver Lake acquired a controlling stake in 2018 as part of a “coordinated scheme” to inflate valuation ahead of an anticipated sale. It also claims WP Engine engaged in bad-faith licensing negotiations, knowing that paying fees would hurt earnings and Silver Lake’s expected return.
The counterclaims reveal:
Automattic was approached to acquire WP Engine but declined
A 2010 agreement gave Automattic an exclusive, royalty-free license to use and enforce WordPress trademarks commercially
“Direct, real-world examples” of consumer confusion, including redacted support tickets from WP Engine customers who mistakenly contacted Automattic
Graphs showing WP Engine’s trademark usage “dramatically increased” between 2021 and 2023
The collective is asking the court to bar WP Engine from using WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks in marketing and to recover profits earned through alleged trademark misuse, with potential triple damages if infringement is found willful.
WP Engine responded that its use of the WordPress trademark “is consistent with longstanding industry practice and fair use under settled trademark law.”
Read the full report on The Repository Here.
Other reports from The Repository you might like to read:
WordPress Plugins Team Rolls Out Automatic Security Scans for All Plugin Updates
Automattic Again Pushes to Dismiss WP Engine’s Antitrust Claims Amid Dispute Over Redacted Excerpts
Don’t forget to subscribe & support them, they do some amazing hard-hitting WordPress journalism.
While these legal battles play out, community members are raising important questions about sustainability.
The Hidden Costs of Your WordCamp Ticket
WordCamp tickets are remarkably affordable—often around 25 euros per day. But who’s really paying for these events? According to Taco Verdonschot’s analysis, the answer goes far beyond sponsors and ticket sales. There are massive hidden costs, and they’re carried almost entirely by volunteers.
The breakdown:
Organizers spend 100–300 hours per event, often unpaid. At a 65 euro/hour freelance rate, that’s 6,500–19,500 euros in donated time per organizer—often exceeding top-tier sponsorships
Volunteers typically work 4-hour shifts during the event, contributing around 260 euros per day in time (minus their free ticket)
Speakers spend hundreds of hours preparing talks, receive no speaking fees or travel reimbursement, and get only a free ticket in return
For flagship WordCamps (the larger, international events), Verdonschot suggests it might make sense to pay for travel and accommodation for outside speakers—people who aren’t giving back to their own community but simply giving. He argues that inviting speakers from outside WordPress could bring valuable cross-pollination of ideas.
His proposals:
Keep local WordCamps volunteer-driven to support community thriving
Allow flagship events to compensate non-WordPress speakers for travel and accommodation
Expand the WordPress Foundation’s role in advancing diversity through programs like the Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship
The post sparked important conversations about sustainability. As Verdonschot notes, WordCamp budgets only show financial income and costs—they don’t capture the thousands of donated hours that make these events possible.
Read the full report on progressplanner.com Here.
This analysis ties back to the broader challenges facing WordPress development and community events this year.
Matt Mullenweg on AI, Playground, and the WordPress Roadmap
At WordCamp Canada, Matt Mullenweg delivered an unscripted talk covering everything from his personal projects to WordPress’s future. He discussed Day One (his encrypted journaling app), WordPress Playground (which spins up WordPress in your browser in 30 seconds using WebAssembly), and his vision for WordPress as a full development platform capable of powering entire mobile apps.
On the commerce side, WooCommerce now processes over $30 billion in gross merchant volume annually and runs on 8% of all websites worldwide. Mullenweg also highlighted Beeper, a messaging app that unifies WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram DMs, LinkedIn messages, and more into one interface.
On AI and the photo directory:
Mullenweg suggested WordPress could evolve its photo directory rules to allow AI-generated faces (since they don’t require model releases) and use AI for better semantic search across the 30,000+ Creative Commons Zero-licensed photos. He noted that WordPress.org already uses AI models like Gemini to handle plugin submissions more efficiently, reducing the review queue from six months to under a week.
On legal challenges:
Mullenweg acknowledged that “the main distractions and things holding back WordPress right now are the legal attacks from WP Engine and Silver Lake,” but said he couldn’t comment further, promising “major updates soon.” The legal situation contributed to the earlier decision to skip a second major release in 2025, though that was later reversed.
On WordPress philosophy:
When questioned about Hello Dolly (the plugin that ships with WordPress core), Mullenweg defended keeping it simple rather than over-engineering it: “The whole idea is to show how easy it is to use the actions and filter system inside of WordPress.” He emphasized that WordPress has “soul” and honors jazz musicians in every release name.
Mullenweg closed by encouraging attendees to check out his blog at ma.tt, where he’s been posting daily for 29 consecutive days (with one missed day).
Read the full blog on ma.tt Here.
WordPress Must Read
→ Every website needs a brand assets page (progressplanner.com)
→ Do Lifetime Licenses Really Cost More to Support? We Finally Have the Data (wpproducttalk.com)
On other WordPress News
→ Automattic 20 & Counter-claims (ma.tt)
→ State of the Word 2025 San Francisco | December 2, 2025 (wordpress.org)
→ What’s New for WordPress Developers – October 2025 (youtube.com)
→ Judge Reins In Discovery Fight as WP Engine Ordered to Produce Customer Data (therepository.email)
→ Devin Walker Joins Automattic as Artistic Director for Jetpack (therepository.email)
→ Gutenberg 21.9 (October 22) (make.wordpress.org)
→ FAIR and Patchstack Joining Forces at CloudFest USA Hackathon to Build New Security Integration (therepository.email)
→ WordCamp Canada 2026: Looking for New Co-Leaders (canada.wordcamp.org)
From WordPress Community
→ 2025 WordPress Youth Day, Nicaragua. Mission accomplished! (make.wordpress.org)
→ WordPress Community Team Calls for Contributors to Rebuild WordCamp Tooling (therepository.email)
→ Core-AI Contributor Check-in – Oct 22nd, 2025 (make.wordpress.org)
→ Recognising contributors work: discussion notes and potential opportunities (make.wordpress.org)
→ WordPress Campus Connect Cartago COVAO 2025 (make.wordpress.org)
→ 10 Years of Reviewing WordPress Themes: A Journey Through Code, Community, and Contribution (kafleg.com.np)
→ The PressConf Story: How Raquel Manriquez Launched the Best WordPress Business Conference (publishpress.com)
→ Shape Contributor Day at WordCamp Asia 2026 — Share Your Ideas! (asia.wordcamp.org)
→ From Steering Wheel to Stage: My Drive to WordCamp Bengaluru 2025 with Tata Punch 🚗 (makarandmane.com)
→ Blocktober Wraps Up as Telex Inspires a Wave of WordPress Experimentation (therepository.email)
Conclusion
WordPress 6.9 is coming December 2, legal battles are intensifying, and important conversations about community sustainability are happening right now.
Testing the beta, understanding the trademark landscape, and supporting WordCamp organizers are all ways to strengthen the ecosystem.
Got thoughts on any of these stories? Hit reply, I’d love to hear from you.
Nishat, WPMore
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