We Need Your SUPPORT We Will Be Back!

I’m excited to share that Festinger Vault will reopen by week 50 of 2024, between December 9 and 13!

I’m Martin, founder of Festinger Vault, a small, independent platform offering GPL-compliant WordPress resources to over 50,000 users worldwide, including nonprofits and individuals in need.

Automattic, the corporation behind WordPress, has launched aggressive legal actions to shut us down—freezing our accounts, blocking healthcare funds related to my muscular disease, and even attempting to seize my wheelchair-accessible vehicle and home. Despite Automattic’s own CEO admitting our GPL compliance, they continue this lawsuit to stifle competition, endangering not just our mission but the very principles of open-source. 

The Amsterdam District Court recently found Automattic in preliminary violation of their Duty of Truthfulness and Completeness for withholding critical evidence. While the court ordered some assets to be unfrozen, Automattic has escalated legal proceedings to force us into a costly fight for survival. 

Why Your Support Matters Our reopening in December will mark a new chapter for Festinger Vault, but I need your help to make it happen. Automattic’s efforts to suppress a GPL-compliant service sets a dangerous precedent for open-source software everywhere. Here’s how your support will help us defend Festinger Vault and uphold open-source principles:

1. Fund Our Legal Defense – Every donation will directly cover legal fees for the upcoming short hearing on November 27th and the substantial costs of the ground procedure Automattic has launched. This prolonged legal process is a significant part of their strategy, designed to stretch out proceedings and exhaust our resources. Please note that even though the Amsterdam Court ordered Automattic to compensate us for the legal costs that we incurred to lift the seizures on our assets, Automattic had, until the present date, refused to do so.
   
   
2. Reopen Festinger Vault—With your help, we’ll bring Festinger Vault back online by week 50, allowing our community of 50,000+ users, charities, and nonprofits to access the GPL software they depend on once again.
   
   
3. Send a Message – We can show that the open-source community won’t let corporations selectively enforce trademarks to suppress competition. Open source should represent accessibility and shared value, not corporate control.

Lastly, I’m excited to share that Festinger Vault will reopen by week 50 of 2024, between December 9 and 13! With your support, we are determined to reopen—free from Automattic-associated products and fully compliant. Stand with us against corporate power to keep open-source accessible to everyone. Every donation will directly cover legal costs, reopen our doors, and send a strong message: open-source belongs to the community, not corporations.