Paint.net: Developer “conquers” own domain after 22 years
After 22 years, the developer of the image editing program Paint.net has finally taken over the eponymous domain. An error by the previous owners allowed the address to be legally returned. The software is moving soon.
Finally under your own name
Rick Brewster, the developer of the free Windows software Paint.net, has decided after 22 years eponymous internet address secured for his project. The programmer had been trying to acquire the coveted URL for over two decades. So far, negotiations have failed due to the previous owners’ refusal or excessive financial demands. Now the address officially belongs to the developer. The image editing program was created in 2004 as a student project at Washington State University, supported by mentoring from Microsoft. It was intended as a direct replacement for the classic Windows Paint. Over the years, the application developed into a comprehensive alternative. Since the appropriate address was occupied, users had to download the program via the alternative domain getpaint.net.
Previous owner’s mistake
As XDA Developers reports, the previous owners made a crucial mistake in December 2025. After more than two decades, the developer of Paint.net is finally the owner of the paint.net domain – and it’s all thanks to a clear case of trademark infringement. According to the information, the then owners redesigned the website to look like the software’s official download page. They placed misleading links and advertising there.
Moving the known software
In doing so, they unlawfully benefited from Brewster’s protected trademark. The campaign aimed to mislead users. The developer then hired a lawyer to stop the abuse. The legal dispute over domain squatting was in favor of the programmer. Paint.net offers users many advantages because it is free and provides more functions than simple standard programs. It supports layers, unlimited undo, and special effects, among other features. This makes it more beginner-friendly than complex alternatives like GIMP. One disadvantage is that it does not achieve the full functionality of paid programs such as Photoshop. Nevertheless, the tool enjoys a huge community.
Paint.NET: A Software History
2004 2004 Paint.NET was created as a student and university project at Washington State University and appeared for the first time as free image editing software for Windows. The first documented publication dates back to May 6, 2004.
from 3.5 From version 3.5 Paint.NET stops open source development, but remains free to use.
2022 2022 With Paint.NET 5.0 there is a major version jump: The software now requires Windows 10 or 11 as well as a 64-bit system and brings numerous new functions.
2026 March 8, 2026 Version 5.1.12 is the latest stable release of Paint.NET to date.
Currently the new address only redirects to the old website. Brewster plans to fully migrate the content in the near future. The previous URL getpaint.net should remain permanently as a redirect. This is necessary because there are countless references on the Internet from the past 22 years. This ensures that old tutorials and forum posts continue to work.
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