Unofficial Notepad++ macOS Port Disavowed by Creator Over Trademark Use
The original author of the Windows-exclusive text editor has publicly rejected the Mac version, citing misleading trademark usage and security concerns regarding AI-assisted development.
Don Ho, the primary author and maintainer of the long-standing Windows-exclusive text editor Notepad++, has publicly disavowed an unofficial macOS port developed by Andrey Letov. The dispute centres on Letov's unauthorised use of the Notepad++ trademark and logo, which Ho describes as misleading, inappropriate, and disrespectful to the project and its user base.
Following the conflict, Letov has begun rebranding the application as "NextPad++" and replacing the original logo with a frog icon to distance the project from the official brand. Despite these changes, an older version of the software retaining the original Notepad++ branding remains available for download, a move that Ho warns could further confuse users regarding the official status of the application.
Ho reported the continued infringement to Cloudflare, the content delivery network provider for the unofficial site, demanding the website be taken down immediately. He stated that every day the site remains active constitutes a violation of the law, noting that he cannot authorise a period of continued trademark infringement even for a short duration.
The unofficial port was created as an independent community build and is a native macOS application featuring a Cocoa user interface rather than a wrapper of the original Win32 interface. Letov confirmed to Ars Technica that the application and website were developed at least partially using Anthropic's Claude CLI, utilising multi-agent AI tools for coding, issue scanning, and feature planning.
While the use of AI coding tools is not inherently disqualifying, the combination of an independent port and AI-generated code has raised concerns about ongoing support and security. Ho emphasised that he has not verified the code or binaries of the unofficial port, highlighting the potential risk of malware for users downloading unvetted software.
Internet Archive snapshots have been made available to preserve the original version of the app and the authors' page, which previously listed Don Ho beneath Letov's name. The project's URL remains unchanged despite the rebranding efforts, a detail that Ho and other users argue could mislead users into believing the software is still officially endorsed.
