Internet Marketers Backlash: Sherman Hu v/s Wordpress Matt
I would admit to the fact that I just love Wordpress and I believe it is one of those amazing apps that turn people into Evangelists! And having created or atleast started the entire Wordpress project, Matt Mullenweg has branded himself as a ‘demigod’ in the blogging community… but it seems that something has got Matt pissed. And I believe that something isn’t a bad something!
It turns out that, Matt has sent Sherman Hu (who is a well known Internet Marketer) a cease and desist letter, asking him to stop violating WordPress’ trademark and intellectual rights — apparently for using the word “WordPress†in his domain name -WordpressTutorials.com
According to Matt, Sherman Hu is better off giving away his tutorials to the wordpress open community than sell it. Well, that is a ridiculous claim to start with ‘coz that is absolutely a personal decision. Infact, I would point everyone to a classic post by my pal Kedar at “Battle of the Encylopaedias - I” which very much addresses a similar issue.
Does it mean that if some information is available for free, someone else cannot charge for making it? No, not at all ! The person selling the information isn’t restricting anyone from going ahead and learning from a free community. But most people feel the need for a customised training approach and this need is what makes money for a lot of publishers and marketers.
Infact, head over to a brilliant post by copy doctor Michel Fortin where he argues on this same topic. He says … If it (selling tutorials for freely available info) was a violation, that would stop courses, private schools and tutorials of all kinds, including the “For Dummies†and “Idiot’s Guide†series of books, from existing. But you see, it’s not. And that’s why tutorials exist.
I would ask … Does MIT not charge its course fee after it released the now famous OpenCourseWare? Well, it still does and in all senses it will continue too !
Personally I admire Matt a lot for whatever he has done, but this sure isn’t the best of moves.
Backlash Continues …
* Wordpress Trademark Scammers? by Andy Beard
* Hey Wordpress - Are You Nuts?? by Marc Quarles
* Wordpress Attacks Support Community by Micheal Campbell
[tags]sherman hu, matt mullenweg, michel fortin, wordpresstutorials.com, classic debates, geeks v/s marketers, love of code v/s love of money[/tags]
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10 Comments so far
The Michel Fortin Blog » Blog Archive » Is WordPress Making a Wrong Move?
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November 4, 2006
Andy Beard
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The Cool Scrolls
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Quaint Colloquies
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November 13, 2006
Wordpress Tutorials (business as usual) at Andy Beard
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[...] Michael Campbell Michel Fortin, Trish Jones, Saumil Patel, Brian Clark, Troy Pentico, Laura Childs, Marc Quarles [...]
November 15, 2006
bluewren
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Whatever is Wordpress on about? Ofcourse they object to others benefiting from using their tradename? Then they cannot cash in on the profits they make from their courses on how to use wordpress. Not that I ever read any. That makes sense to me and they think affiliate marketing is offensive?
who wouldn’t be wasting time on their bl**dy blogs and finding nice items of content to make it interesting if it were not to promote a business or an affiliate business. the number of highly intellectual ego’s who simply like the sound of their own voices ( in print ) are not nearly so numerous let me tell them and if they depended on them the high minded intellectual nerds to support their blogs ..they’d be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.( just read some of the drivel content posted on wordpress!)
Really? Well I have news for them there are alot of people like me on the interent ( a common denominator).
The net was made for affiliate marketing so they had better get used to it.why would anyone bother to spend all that time on a blog if not to attempt to improve their income???
January 3, 2007
Saumil
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@bluewren
that was quite some rant, and it does make sense ..
although there are quite a lot of ppl who use blogs (successfully) for many other things than just improving income … but thatz a diff. story !
thnx for stopping by and posting !
January 3, 2007
Emarketscout
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Hi,
i must admit that i’ver never seen it this way.
But to succeed with making money online, i ‘d strongly advice that you get yourself a treasure map - a roadmap to Affiliate success …*-)
Michael
March 18, 2008
Lynn
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April 8, 2008
Elizabeth
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April 11, 2008
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