Paint.NET creator finally acquires paint.net domain after 22 years

Paint.NET, the free Photoshop-like program long hosted at getpaint.net since its 2004 launch, has finally acquired its namesake domain. For more than two decades the program’s creator did not control paint.net, an oddity that is now resolved. Rick Brewster announced the win on Bluesky, posting, "I got the domain!

I finally got it!" and adding that "I've been trying to get this domain for 22 years" and calling the moment "A big fucking deal." He said the previous owners would not sell and "And/or they wanted lots and lots of money." The stalemate ended after the latest owner began hosting content that tried to deceive users into believing it was the official site, with dodgy links and ads that profited from Brewster's registered trademark.

Brewster describes the situation as "a slam dunk case of trademark infringement and domain squatting," and enlisted a lawyer to reclaim the domain. Although paint.net now belongs to Brewster, the software is not yet downloadable directly from the site.

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