They've always been actively protecting their trademark. Also small companies or meetups using WordPress were asked to change that. I think they even have to do that legally to some degree to protect their trademark.
WP Engine has build their success on piggybacking the WordPress trademark, their slogan is "Most Trusted WordPress Hosting and Beyond".
It's probably fair they pay a fee for that.
If they would just use the open source software & would market it as a blog-hosting they would most likely be in the clear.
WP Engine has build their success on piggybacking the WordPress trademark, their slogan is "Most Trusted WordPress Hosting and Beyond".
It's probably fair they pay a fee for that.
If they would just use the open source software & would market it as a blog-hosting they would most likely be in the clear.