Notepad++ Creator Calls Out 'Fake' Mac App Over Trademark Violation

[MacRumors]

Notepad++ creator Don Ho said the macOS version of the popular Windows code editor is fake and using the Notepad++ trademark without permission.

The unofficial Notepad++ app for macOS​

In a blog post, Ho said the macOS app is "not authorized, not endorsed, and not affiliated with" the official version of Notepad++ in any way, adding that it is "misleading, inappropriate, and frankly disrespectful to both the project and its users."

In coordination with Ho, the developer of the macOS port Andrey Letov said he will rebrand the Mac app and its corresponding website in the coming days:

In coordination with Don Ho, the creator of the original Notepad++, I'll be evolving the branding of the macOS version so it stands on its own while respecting its lineage. These updates, such as a new logo, a refined name, and likely a new domain will ship with version 1.0.6 in the coming days. Continuity for existing users is a priority, and I'll make the transition as seamless as I can. Thank you for your patience.

Notepad++ has been one of the most popular text and code editors on Windows for more than 20 years, and many users have long hoped for a Mac version. It appears the unofficial port will live on for now, but with a new name and branding.

Emphasis on unofficial.

"To be crystal clear: Notepad++ has never released a macOS version," said Ho.

Article Link: Notepad++ Creator Calls Out 'Fake' Mac App Over Trademark Violation

 

[I7guy]

And the plot thickens. N++ is a benchmark and you can’t get much. Enter even if you pay for a text editor.

 

[dontwalkhand]

The solution to this…..why doesn’t he just release a MacOS version?

 

[DocMultimedia]

I guess the Mac developer was trying to get a bit of press. All press is good press. 🤣

 

[JosephAW]

Yet it past all of the Apple Store app scrutiny. Fascinating 🤔

 

[ItsASpider]

From reading that GitHub issue, this is genuinely starting to look like some bad faith behavior by Letov. It doesn't take "weeks" to remove the clear trademark violation from your personal project, and he only appears to be interested in making excuses instead of even bothering to apologize. Even the announcement quoted in this article starts off trying to apply a relation where there is none ("coordination with Don Ho" is a strange way to describe someone saying "hey stop using my trademark"). No, this guy was clearly trying to just use the name to get his project out there and to surf on the success of Notepad++ with no intention to "strengthen the brand".

 

[gleepskip]

The App Store isn't vulnerable to the Chinese(?) attack the Notepad++ website suffered for months last year. Don Ho needs to get busy on a real Mac version.

 

[KENESS]

"In coordination with Don Ho, the creator of the original Notepad++"

"I'll be evolving the branding"

"I'll make the transition"

This kind of verbal spew makes me sick. You did something blatantly wrong. If you have any hint of character, apologize.

 

[con2apple]

The solution to this…..why doesn’t he just release a MacOS version?

Maybe because he's just a small-time developer who doesn't have the manpower to manage half a dozen macOS systems on top of Windows?

Just a thought.

 

[vantelimus]

The Mac guy should have done a trademark search, but really he can be forgiven based on what this product actually is. The confusion here is that the software is GPLv2 open source. Anyone can grab a copy and make a port to any system they want.

GitHub - notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus: Notepad++ official repository

Notepad++ official repository. Contribute to notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

The name Notepad++ however is trademarked by the main developer. If anyone has acted in bad faith here it is the guy who released open source, but trademarked the name so that no one else can use it.

 

[con2apple]

The App Store isn't vulnerable to the Chinese(?) attack the Notepad++ website suffered for months last year. Don Ho needs to get busy on a real Mac version.

Would you pay for it?
No, I don't mean the one-time-5$-payment, but the whole development + updates.

 

[Scipster]

The program shouldn't have infringed on the Notepad++ trademark. It should have been named Notepad+++, and the pro version (subscription only, of course) should be called Notepad++++.

 

[Astuces iOS]

Well you can sue them and get the macOS app...

 

[Hajj.david]

And the plot thickens. N++ is a benchmark and you can’t get much. Enter even if you pay for a text editor.

What does it do that Visual Studio Code doesn't? I haven't used NP++ since visual studio got good.

 

[LogicalApex]

The solution to this…..why doesn’t he just release a MacOS version?

Ports aren't easy. They require work both to release and to maintain.

The issue here isn't that another developer decided to take up the work. The issue is that it was attached to the Notepad++ brand without first confirming that was OK with the Notepad++ maintainers. The right way to handle this would be to have released it as a port with a new name and note that it is a fork of Notepad++ for Windows.

Forks are within the spirit of OSS...

The issue for users though. If the developer of the Mac port was this shady with the branding of the port. Can he be trusted in general.

 

[jimscard]

How do you claim "trademark" over something you publish using that name under the GPL3 license? That doesn't make sense to me.

If the repository and everything wasn't called Notepad++, it would make more sense to me. So now I guess we'll end up with the Mac version being called something else. It's still an open-source GPL3 licensed, port of the original, whatever its named.

 

[falkon-engine]

Can he call it Notes++ ? Or TextEdit++ ?

 

[FatLouie]

"In coordination with Don Ho, the creator of the original Notepad++"

"I'll be evolving the branding"

"I'll make the transition"

This kind of verbal spew makes me sick. You did something blatantly wrong. If you have any hint of character, apologize.

Agreed, and you beat me to posting nearly the same as you. When I saw the word 'evolving', I almost spewed my coffee, and thought the guy just proved himself an effn clown.

 

[Anung_Un_Rama]

Maybe because he's just a small-time developer who doesn't have the manpower to manage half a dozen macOS systems on top of Windows?

Just a thought.

Exactly! People with no idea what it takes to develop an app are quick to make that idiotic remark.

 

[tech_enthusiast_]

The Mac guy should have done a trademark search, but really he can be forgiven based on what this product actually is. The confusion here is that the software is GPLv2 open source. Anyone can grab a copy and make a port to any system they want.

GitHub - notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus: Notepad++ official repository

Notepad++ official repository. Contribute to notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

The name Notepad++ however is trademarked by the main developer. If anyone has acted in bad faith here it is the guy who released open source, but trademarked the name so that no one else can use it.

I don't think you understand how open source works. Open source doesn't mean that anyone can take 100% of what you created, port it to a new system, and take credit for it and/or use your project's name on it.

Open source means you make the source code available for people to see and build on, but you still get credit for your contributions and anyone who decides to build on your work has to respect any trademarks you have on brand name, imagery, etc.

The "Mac guy" as you called him absolutely cannot be forgiven. He stole the trademarked brand name from someone and used it to promote an app that he created without their permission. The trademark owner did absolutely nothing wrong. It's important for even open source projects to have trademarks on their names in case of this exact scenario.

 

[TheGoblin]

The issue for users though. If the developer of the Mac port was this shady with the branding of the port. Can he be trusted in general.

This part. This isn't a developer making a silly pun on an existing product. The developer used the name of the product and made it seem like it was official, when it wasn't.

The name Notepad++ however is trademarked by the main developer. If anyone has acted in bad faith here it is the guy who released open source, but trademarked the name so that no one else can use it.

Look into product offerings by Red Hat, Canonical, and even some Apple Technologies that are just trademarked versions of open source technologies.

 

[coolfactor]

The name Notepad++ however is trademarked by the main developer. If anyone has acted in bad faith here it is the guy who released open source, but trademarked the name so that no one else can use it.

What? You're complaining that the "Notepad++" name is not open-source, too?

If anyone could use any recognizable name in any way, we'd live in a very different world. Names matter.

The unofficial port should've used a new name from the start, but he tried to capitalize on a known name, without permission.

 

[FatLouie]

He would have been much wiser to name it "MacNotePad++" and give credit back to NotePad++ as the parent code. Of course, he should have also advised Ho of his intentions. It would have all gone so much smoother.

 

[tech_enthusiast_]

How do you claim "trademark" over something you publish using that name under the GPL3 license? That doesn't make sense to me.

If the repository and everything wasn't called Notepad++, it would make more sense to me. So now I guess we'll end up with the Mac version being called something else. It's still an open-source GPL3 licensed, port of the original, whatever its named.

You can have a trademark on a brand name, even for an open source project. The brand name, brand imagery, etc. is not part of the open source code.

The purpose of trademarking the brand name of an open source project is to prevent exactly what happened here from happening: someone stealing your name and likeness and using it to promote something you were not involved with creating.

Open source doesn't mean anyone can do whatever they want with what you created.

 

[ItsASpider]

How do you claim "trademark" over something you publish using that name under the GPL3 license? That doesn't make sense to me.

If the repository and everything wasn't called Notepad++, it would make more sense to me. So now I guess we'll end up with the Mac version being called something else. It's still an open-source GPL3 licensed, port of the original, whatever its named.

The Mac guy should have done a trademark search, but really he can be forgiven based on what this product actually is. The confusion here is that the software is GPLv2 open source. Anyone can grab a copy and make a port to any system they want.

GitHub - notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus: Notepad++ official repository

Notepad++ official repository. Contribute to notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

The name Notepad++ however is trademarked by the main developer. If anyone has acted in bad faith here it is the guy who released open source, but trademarked the name so that no one else can use it.

Because the GPL license has nothing to do with trademarks? Just because Linux is open source doesn't mean you can fork it, release your own, and call that Linux. That's not how trademarks work, nor how open source work. You'll be hard pressed to find an open source project that's okay with you using their name for your own fork.