Clone of CotEditor violating MIT license

[rg4cyc]

The attached app is clearly a repackaged, monetized clone of CotEditor with credit removed. Download it and see for yourselves. Every menu is exactly the same, size the same, interface the same... with MIT license credit or attribution nowhere to be found. Have already reported to Apple and encourage this team and other users to do the same. So they either give credit where it is due, or cease this kind of damaging behavior.

[unnamedd]

@rg4cyc I guess it would be better if you could provide a few other proofs of what you are saying in order to help @1024jp in case he has to work against such violations.

Here are some screenshots I took from that Notepad++

[1024jp]

Thank you for your report.

As you pointed out, the application in question was registered in the App Store as a pirated version of the CotEditor project up to version 1.5.1. Here is a screenshot I took at the time. While the Japanese localization has been modified (and a native speaker would immediately recognize it wasn't done by a Japanese speaker), you can see it's a complete copy.

I reported it to the App Store review board this past July. Subsequently, in version 1.6 released on July 22nd, significant changes were made, and the implementation and resources imitating CotEditor were removed.
(I suspect some features in the paid version may still be using CotEditor's code...)

The latest version 1.7 currently distributed on the App Store has already stopped perfectly mimicking CotEditor, so I'm leaving it alone. Can you still find traces of CotEditor in the latest version?

By the way, this application is the fourth in a series of CotEditor pirate versions that have appeared on the App Store in the past. The original is free, though, lol.

I report these to Apple whenever I notice them, so if you find any similar applications in the future, please let me know. It helps reduce the number of unfortunate users who end up paying for apps they could use for free.

[rg4cyc]

The latest version 1.7 currently distributed on the App Store has already stopped perfectly mimicking CotEditor, so I'm leaving it alone. Can you still find traces of CotEditor in the latest version?

Yes, the interface was completely identical. Menu structure, everything. I did not take screenshots, here's why:

I was not aware that CotEditor existed, so I downloaded this a few months ago (it shows up whenever people search for "Notepad++" in the App Store... quite a popular search... so it's a powerful hook, and I fell for it).

Everything functioned well until yesterday. After an update the full interface (that mimics CotEditor identically) is now behind a $19.99 paywall.

I immediately deleted it and all traces of it, as it was trying to execute Terminal commands, which is not acceptable.

Thanks for your interest and your actions @1024jp and @unnamedd ! I hope something can be enforced.

[1024jp]

@rg4cyc Thank you for the detailed report.

I left it alone because it had changed after my report, and I was annoyed at having to charge the distributor just for the investigation. However, it seems the situation didn’t turn out well.

I initially thought they must have deleted it because the resources inside the .app package were gone. But upon rechecking, I found the executable alone exceeded 200MB, which is unusual. I suspect they’re hiding the things there.

I’ll contact Apple tomorrow and request the investigation and ban.

I'm sorry you had to pay for such a malicious app. I believe you should be able to get a refund for the $19.99 you paid by contacting the App Store.

I'll post again if there are any updates.

[1024jp]

@rg4cyc While I'm appealing to the App Store, you may be able to request a refund from the following page:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/app-store/fir52b1849e1/mac