Notepad++ creator disowns unauthorized "Notepad++ for Mac" port

Don Ho, the original author and maintainer of Notepad++, has publicly disavowed a third-party macOS release marketed as “Notepad++ for Mac.” The app, built by Andrey Letov, uses the Notepad++ name and logo without permission, creating the impression of an official port. Notepad++ has been Windows-exclusive since its 2003 debut and has never shipped a macOS version.

Ho says the unauthorized branding has already misled users and parts of the tech press into treating the release as legitimate. According to a GitHub thread, Letov contacted Ho before launch, but Ho did not respond in time; he has since warned that trading on the Notepad++ name exposes the derivative project to trademark liability and damages the original project’s reputation.

The dispute highlights a recurring open-source friction point: permissive code licenses do not extend to project trademarks, and “vibe-coded” ports that adopt an established name to inherit its credibility can quickly cross into infringement, regardless of the author’s intent.