After 22 years, image editor Paint.NET secures matching domain name from online squatters
It took Rick Brewster, the creator of the free image editing program Paint.NET, over two decades to acquire the domain paint.net. And he couldn’t be more excited.
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Paint.NET's creator finally obtained the paint.net domain after 22 years.
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A trademark infringement claim helped force the domain transfer.
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The software had operated from getpaint.net since 2004.
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Brewster says the domain itself cost nothing, though legal fees did.
“I GOT THE DOMAIN! I FINALLY GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!” Brewster wrote on the social media platform Bluesky.
I GOT THE DOMAIN! I FINALLY GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!1 🥳🎉 Paint.NET is now at paint.net! Well, it will be just as soon as I push all the buttons to migrate content and set up redirects from getpaint.net etc. For now it's just a undefinedhey go hereundefined redirect page.
undefined Rick Brewster (@rickbrew.bsky.social) 29 May 2026 at 21:46
How did he manage to obtain the domain name? Brewster says that the previous owners were reluctant to sell, or wanted “lots and lots and lots of money.”
But then, in December 2025, things changed. In an attempt to deceive users, the owners of the paint.net domain hosted content that was all about Paint.NET, pretending it was the official website of the free editing tool.
According to Brewster, the domain contained bad links and advertisements. Or as he says: “They were making money off my registered trademark.”
“And that’s how it became a slam dunk case of trademark infringement and domain squatting. With the help of a lawyer, I GOT THE DOMAIN,” Brewster explains on Bluesky.
Paint.NET is considered one of the best free image and photo editing tools on the internet, containing many of the same functionalities and features as paid competitors, such as Adobe Photoshop.
When Brewster launched Paint.NET back in 2004, he tried to obtain the eponymous domain name. However, the domain was already taken, and Brewster couldn’t convince the owners to hand it over to him. That’s why Paint.NET was hosted on a different site: getpaint.net.
Brewster may officially be the new owner of the paint.net domain, but at the time of writing, the image editing tool is not available for download directly from the site. This is because the developer is yet to “push all the buttons to migrate content and set up redirects” from the previous site.
In the meantime, paint.net refers viewers to getpaint.net, where they can download Paint.NET.
For those wondering what Brewster had to pay for the domain, it was a grand total of zero dollars. The bill for the lawyer who helped him acquire the domain, however, was $5,000.
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Do you know how Webster celebrated his long-awaited victory? With some “wine and a chocolate chip cookie.”
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