Comment on WordPress.com blogs can now be followed on Mastodon and other federated platforms | TechCrunch
Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 11 months agoMan this is like saying proton isn’t made by Valve… Matt Mullenweg was one of the cocreators of Wordpress and went on to start Automattic which is a pun on his name. He’s literally got (or at least had) the title of lead developer in the Worldpress Foundation and he’s CEO of Automattic.
Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world 11 months ago
I didn’t say it’s not “made by”, they clearly contribute plenty, just like many others. The issue is that a non-profit entity should not be used as an advertising platform giving preferential treatment to a single for-profit business.
The WordPress Foundation clearly states that you can’t use the name WordPress in your domain or business name nor use the logo for your business (wordpressfoundation.org/trademark-policy/) yet that is what Automattic does and Automattic or WordPress.com is not the same entity as the WordPress Foundation or WordPress.org. That is illegal and unethical.
LogarithmicCamel@feddit.uk 11 months ago
If you own a name, you can grant anyone you want permission to use that name. It’s not illegal.
Lord_ToRA@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Not when you are a non-profit. You cannot run a non-profit in a way that only provides special benefits to a person or group and exclude others.