After a 22-year legal battle, developer Rick Brewster has finally secured the Paint.net domain name for his popular image editing software following a successful trademark and cybersquatting dispute.

Key Points

• Rick Brewster originally created Paint.NET as a senior project at Washington State University in 2004.
• The software was previously hosted at GetPaint.net because the primary domain was held by third-party owners.
• The dispute escalated in late 2025 when the Paint.net domain began impersonating the official app to distribute malware and advertisements.
• Brewster initiated legal action in December 2025, citing trademark infringement and malicious profiteering by the domain owners.
• A legal ruling forced the transfer of the domain to Brewster, who has now migrated all official resources to Paint.net.

Why it Matters

This resolution protects users from potential security threats by consolidating the software's official presence under its most intuitive web address. It also highlights the legal mechanisms available to developers to reclaim domains when bad actors use their intellectual property to facilitate fraud.