Notepad++ Trademark Dispute Over Unofficial Mac Port

Notepad++, a Windows-only editor created by Don Ho in 2003, appeared in early May 2026 as a macOS version called “Notepad++ for Mac,” built by New York engineer Andrey Letov. Ho says the name and logo misuse misleads users and violates the trademark.

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Notepad++ is released under the GNU GPL, allowing code forks but not the use of its trademark or branding. Ho has repeatedly stated that the project has never issued an official macOS version.

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Key dates: 2003 – Notepad++ launched on Windows; early May 2026 – Letov released the macOS port; mid-May – Ho declared it unauthorized; late May – Ho reported the site to Cloudflare; end of May – Letov rebranded as Nextpad++ and announced a domain change.

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Ho stressed that Notepad++ has never released a macOS version and that any claim to the contrary misleads users. He identified trademark misuse—not the GPL-allowed fork—as the core issue and reported the site to Cloudflare as impersonation. Letov said he never intended to imply Ho’s involvement, credited Ho for the original code, and argued that renaming would help Mac users find the port. Ho acknowledged Letov’s intentions but reiterated that the Notepad++ brand should not be used for promotion.

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Developers warned that Letov’s branding could blur the line between community forks and official releases, eroding trust and confusing users about the authentic Notepad++ product.

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Both sources agree on the facts; they differ only in reliability ratings, and no external verification of the Cloudflare report is available.

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• “) (Credit: Don Ho) Ho wrote: “This is misleading, inappropriate, and frankly disrespectful to both the project and its users.” — Don Ho, Notepad++ developer

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• “It has already fooled people—including tech media—into believing this is an official release. To be crystal clear: Notepad++ has never released a macOS version. Anyone claiming otherwise is simply riding on the Notepad++ name.” — Don Ho

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• “When I put Don on the authors page I never in my life had any intention to say that he was involved. It actually says that he wasn't but I wanted to give Don all credit for creating [the] original version, which [the] Mac version was built on,” — Andrey Letov

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• “I'm not siphoning any legitimacy. I did a lot of work to bring it free to Mac with only intent to expand Notepad++ brand and allow Mac users to find Mac version easier.” — Andrey Letov

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Letov’s rebranded site will move to nextpad.org. Ho’s domain-change request remains pending, and the open-source community watches the trademark enforcement of GPL forks.

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