– SFC has identified AGPLv3 violations by Bambu Lab, including bundling a proprietary networking library without source and coercive actions against a fork, infringing developers’ rights under the license.
– The nonprofit umbrellaed by the SFC is launching a multi-pronged approach, including the baltobu project to create replacement components, maintain forks, and improve software rights for 3D printer users.
– SFC met its fundraising goal to support dedicated staff and volunteers for baltobu, signaling a sustained effort to push back against licensing noncompliance and promote software freedom in the 3D printing ecosystem.
Background and escalating scrutiny of Bambu Lab
After facing strong pushback from Louis Rossmann and Gamers Nexus, Bambu Lab found itself in the crosshairs again as the Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) stepped in to examine the company’s open-source software practices. This development follows prior legal pressure the company applied over an independent developer’s OrcaSlicer–Bambu Lab fork, which had enabled users to bypass certain cloud service controls that Bambu Lab had begun to implement gradually.
What sparked the SFC investigation
In context, the dispute centers around Paweł Jarczak, a solo developer who used his own code to help users bypass the company’s cloud restrictions. Those restrictions are tied to the so-called “Authorization Control System” and the middleware plugin Bambu Connect, which together limit cloud-based functionality. Jarczak’s fork of OrcaSlicer with Bambu Lab changes enabled full cloud printing without needing Bambu Connect, provoking a reaction from Bambu Lab.
The SFC findings and AGPLv3 violations
By May 18, the SFC had completed a thorough review of Bambu Lab’s software and found two serious AGPLv3 license violations tied to Bambu Studio, the company’s slicer software that itself forks PrusaSlicer, which is AGPL-licensed. The first violation identified was the bundling of a proprietary networking library, bambu_networking, without releasing the source code mandated by the license. The second issue involved aggressive efforts to threaten and shut down Jarczak’s fork, effectively curtailing his legal rights under AGPLv3.
What the SFC publicly asserted
The SFC stated on its website that Bambu demanded Paweł remove the OrcaSlicer fork with the changes from GitHub and that Bambu falsely claimed their terms of service override AGPLv3, among other arguments. The nonprofit described Bambu’s scare tactics against Paweł as a violation of AGPLv3, which includes a sub-clause prohibiting imposing further restrictions on the rights granted under the license.
Strategic response and future plans
The SFC elaborated that the aggressive behavior toward Paweł was a breaking point and announced a multi-pronged plan to help consumers in the near term while pursuing long-term software right-to-repair improvements for all 3D printer users. In response, Bambu Lab issued a cautious statement, acknowledging that their prior references to terms of service, legal context, and potential C&D actions could be misconstrued as threats and that this was not the outcome they wanted.
New SFC initiatives and fundraising milestone
In reaction to the situation, the SFC launched a project named “baltobu,” intended to create replacement forks for proprietary networking libraries, maintain an actively updated OrcaSlicer fork for Bambu Lab, and support a dedicated Bambu Studio fork. The group reported reaching its fundraising target of $250,007 to hire staff and volunteers to support the baltobu project and related efforts, signaling a commitment to uphold open-source rights in this space.
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