diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 204530f..585ee51 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@
 /nml-0.3.0-src.tgz
 /nml-0.4.1.tar.gz
 /nml-0.4.2.tar.gz
+/nml-0.4.4.tar.gz
diff --git a/0001-pillow-Remove-deprecated-tostring-fromstring-call.patch b/0001-pillow-Remove-deprecated-tostring-fromstring-call.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index ef8ce8f..0000000
--- a/0001-pillow-Remove-deprecated-tostring-fromstring-call.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-From 369edfc27c2f05092a4f3ab0d5786798bea89cc1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
-Message-Id: <369edfc27c2f05092a4f3ab0d5786798bea89cc1.1446013804.git.felix@fetzig.org>
-From: Felix Kaechele <felix@fetzig.org>
-Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2015 07:28:54 +0100
-Subject: [PATCH] pillow: Remove deprecated tostring/fromstring call
-
-In newer versions of pillow these calls throw a fatal exception
-
-Signed-off-by: Felix Kaechele <felix@fetzig.org>
----
- nml/spriteencoder.py | 8 ++++----
- 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
-
-diff --git a/nml/spriteencoder.py b/nml/spriteencoder.py
-index 772f35d..2a6872e 100644
---- a/nml/spriteencoder.py
-+++ b/nml/spriteencoder.py
-@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ class SpriteEncoder(object):
-                 pos = generic.build_position(sprite_info.poslist)
-                 raise generic.ScriptError("Read beyond bounds of image file '{}'".format(filename_32bpp.value), pos)
-             sprite = im.crop((x, y, x + size_x, y + size_y))
--            rgb_sprite_data = sprite.tostring()
-+            rgb_sprite_data = sprite.tobytes()
- 
-             if (info_byte & INFO_ALPHA) != 0:
-                 # Check for half-transparent pixels (not valid for ground sprites)
-@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ class SpriteEncoder(object):
-                 raise generic.ScriptError("Read beyond bounds of image file '{}'".format(filename_8bpp.value), pos)
-             mask_sprite = mask_im.crop((mask_x, mask_y, mask_x + size_x, mask_y + size_y))
- 
--            mask_sprite_data = self.palconvert(mask_sprite.tostring(), im_mask_pal)
-+            mask_sprite_data = self.palconvert(mask_sprite.tobytes(), im_mask_pal)
- 
-             # Check for white pixels; those that cause "artefacts" when shading
-             pixel_stats['white'] = sum(p == 255 for p in mask_sprite_data)
-@@ -321,9 +321,9 @@ class SpriteEncoder(object):
-                     sprite_data.extend(rgb_data[3*i:3*(i+1)])
-                     sprite_data.append(mask_data[i])
-         elif (info_byte & INFO_RGB) != 0:
--            sprite_data.fromstring(rgb_sprite_data)
-+            sprite_data.frombytes(rgb_sprite_data)
-         else:
--            sprite_data.fromstring(mask_sprite_data)
-+            sprite_data.frombytes(mask_sprite_data)
- 
-         bpp = get_bpp(info_byte)
-         assert len(sprite_data) == size_x * size_y * bpp
--- 
-2.4.3
-
diff --git a/nml.spec b/nml.spec
index 1ab00df..6657b80 100644
--- a/nml.spec
+++ b/nml.spec
@@ -1,12 +1,11 @@
 Name:           nml
-Version:        0.4.2
-Release:        4%{?dist}
+Version:        0.4.4
+Release:        1%{?dist}
 Summary:        NewGRF Meta Language compiler
 
 License:        GPLv2+
 URL:            http://dev.openttdcoop.org/projects/nml
 Source0:        http://bundles.openttdcoop.org/nml/releases/%{version}/%{name}-%{version}.tar.gz
-Patch0:         0001-pillow-Remove-deprecated-tostring-fromstring-call.patch
 
 BuildRequires:  python3-devel python3-pillow python3-ply python3-setuptools
 Requires:       python3-pillow python3-ply python3-setuptools
@@ -17,7 +16,6 @@ A tool to compile nml files to grf or nfo files, making newgrf coding easier.
 
 %prep
 %setup -q
-%patch0 -p1
 
 
 %build
@@ -41,6 +39,10 @@ rm docs/nmlc.1.gz
 
 
 %changelog
+* Wed Mar 30 2016 Felix Kaechele <heffer@fedoraproject.org> - 0.4.4-1
+- update to 0.4.4
+- remove obsolete patch
+
 * Thu Feb 04 2016 Fedora Release Engineering <releng@fedoraproject.org> - 0.4.2-4
 - Rebuilt for https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_24_Mass_Rebuild
 
diff --git a/sources b/sources
index e8bbcd8..e1f4842 100644
--- a/sources
+++ b/sources
@@ -1 +1 @@
-ed8b8cf03887e05d655a811b4a9f771b  nml-0.4.2.tar.gz
+9c285dbfd744817820bde3927414e503  nml-0.4.4.tar.gz