Issue #171 Loop WP

Hi, friend. 👋

Welcome to Issue #171 of Loop WP!

Last week, the UK’s Online Safety Act shook up local content in a VPN-first world, plus we looked at Remote Data Blocks in WordPress and Elementor’s Ally accessibility plugin.

This week, Matt Mullenweg announced an experiment with a more simplified wp.com pricing structure, but there was more to his announcement. We round things off with some Checkout Summit and Influence WP.

Let’s go! 👇

WP Simplified

🚨 On August 13th, 2025, Matt Mullenweg announced “WP.com Simplification.”

(Read the link above; it’s important for the next bit.)

Matt describes this test, which is running until August 25th, 2025 (at least), as:

⚡️ Essentially, every single paid account gets that full WP.cloud experience with full customisation and control.

Cyber Squatting or More To It?

😳 Now, friend, remember I said to read that first link from Matt about the announcement, and it was important?

Matt spends the first part of his announcement accusing another company (WPMU Dev) of cyber squatting.

🕵️‍♂️ I am not a legal expert, but I wanted to dig a bit further as I couldn’t see any reason (only Matt knows) to bring up a historical issue that (in my opinion) hurts an otherwise positive announcement.

Naming/“WPMU” Domain (Implied Trademark Friction??)

Perhaps Matt’s comment has more to do with Automattic’s recent increased enforcement of trademark infringements?

• In a July 7th, 2014, interview, Matt says the “MU” name had been “co-opted by James Farmer, who had registered WPMU.org (now redirects to wpmudev.com),” citing this as one reason the WordPress MU project name was retired when it merged into core as Multisite.

This is the closest on-record statement (that I could find) from Matt that maps to a cybersquatting-style complaint (his words are “co-opted,” not “cybersquatting”).

• On December 4th, 2013, James Farmer explained why they retired the WPMU.org brand and moved the blog under wpmudev.com.
  
  James noted he’d acquired wpmu.org in 2008 “to be about WordPress MU” and acknowledged brand confusion over the years within WPMU Dev’s own products and services, not WordPress.com itself.

🫠 Why can’t we have a nice announcement without unnecessary negativity?

Conclusion

💡 I doubt users were confused by MU (which is also used for "Must-Use" plugins), and I doubt they even know or care that there was a WordPress MS.

🤷‍♂️ So, I don’t know why Matt even brings this issue up in his announcement, which (in my opinion) has nothing to do with it.

Why do I go into detail, friend?

I don’t think it’s fair to the WordPress community or readers of Matt’s announcement that such a one-sided accusation/statement is made and potentially taken as truth.

💡 There’s more on WordPress trademark infringement in the “News & Tips” at the bottom of this email.

Disclaimer

I am a long-time WPMU Dev customer (although this accusation is new to me), and I’m also a long-time customer of Automattic products.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are my own; I don’t make any financial gain, nor am I a legal expert, so my limited research may be incomplete.

Before You Go

I’ve a couple of quick updates on a new dedicated (independent) WooCommerce conference and a WordPress community with a difference. 👇

Checkout Summit

I first mentioned the Checkout Summit back in Issue 167, and since then, Rodolfo has put in a tremendous amount of effort, which you can read in the Checkout Summit News (Rodolfo has also been running polls and asking for feedback on X).

The call for speakers and sponsors is now open, and (hopefully) there will be a confirmed date in 2026 announced this week.

Influence WP

Back in Issue 146, when I first linked to Influence WP, Ryan was building a community with a difference.

A community connecting product owners, service providers, and consumers while being a one-stop shop for all things WordPress.

Ryan doesn’t earn affiliate commission from promoting a plugin or service; instead, the focus is more about people and building connections.

It’s a great deal for both Partners and Consumers.

(And no, friend, none of these links for Influence WP are affiliate links. 😂)

That’s It For This Week 👋

If you are just joining us friend, this newsletter marked a return to our “deep-dive” format, allowing us to take a closer look at the topic.

A couple more weeks to go of our “summer series” format, and then we get back to my deep-dive format.

See you next week! 😀

Weekly WordPress News & Tips

This week's excellent and insightful WordPress News & Tips:

• WordPress Project - Proposal to Expand WordPress Core Block Library Draws Support and Caution Among Contributors. (The Repository)

• Big News! - Rocket.net Appoints Seasoned WordPress Leader Jessica Frick as General Manager. (Rocket.net)

• Core CLI - WooCommerce core CLI importer is coming!!!! (James Kemp)

• 🎊 10 Years of Coupon Affiliates – How it started and lessons I’ve learned. (Elliot Sowersby)

• Feeling Insecure? - with Tim Nash. The rise of AI in the security space. (WP Builds)

• Making Progress - How AI and Automation are Improving the Woo Release Process. (WooCommerce)

• Site Management - How agencies automate WordPress management with the Kinsta API. (Kinsta)

• The AI Search Manual - The Official Documentation for Relevance Engineering in AI Search. (Mic King)

• 🎉 Menu Designer is Out Now! - Beautiful navigation made simple using the native WordPress block editor (also available on GitHub). (Mike McAlister)

• Putting Bolt to the Test - Can AI build a usable database-driven dashboard to manage content on an AI-built directory listing website? (WPTuts)

• Accessibility Knowledgebase - HM joins the mission to make WordPress accessible. (Human Made)

• Demo - Some features from WooCommerce 10.0 and 10.1, namely: checkout loading improvements, shareable URLs, and a couple of beta blocks. (James Kemp)

• Congratulations! - Rocket.net Ranks No. 167 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies. (Rocket.net)

• More Trademark Infringements - From Groundhogg to Guideline Violations: How the WordPress Plugins Team Enforces Trademarks. (The Repository)

If you have a question about this email or WordPress, please reply, and I will respond as soon as possible.

👋 Until next time,