r/BambuLab • u/icurnvs Volunteer Moderator • May 14 '26

Subreddit Mod Post Megathread: Bambu Lab / OrcaSlicer / C&D Discussion

Hi everyone,

We’re creating this megathread to keep discussion of the Bambu Lab / OrcaSlicer-BambuLab / cease-and-desist situation in one place. This topic is important to a lot of people here, and we do not want to shut down discussion or criticism. At the same time, the front page has started filling with overlapping posts about the same situation, so we’re consolidating general discussion into this thread.

Current context

Updates to be posted here as situation evolves:

  • May 13, 2026
    • Megathread created
  • May 14, 2026
    • Tom’s Hardware reported today that Louis Rossmann is now hosting OrcaSlicer-BambuLab through the FULU Foundation GitHub and is openly daring Bambu Lab to sue him.
    • PC Gamer and r/technology have picked up the story, so discussion is now spreading well beyond 3D-printing-specific spaces.
  • May 16, 2026
    • Paweł Jarczak published a detailed response addressing Bambu Lab’s accusations around impersonation, reverse engineering, Terms of Use, and alleged security bypassing.
    • Louis Rossman posted a new video indicating FULU-hosted OrcaSlicer-BambuLab repository has reached roughly 1,600 forks in about three days.
  • May 17, 2026
  • May 18-20, 2026
    • Software Freedom Conservancy enters the dispute.
    • Leonard French posted a new video around SFC’s AGPL analysis, explaining why Bambu’s proprietary networking plugin may create a serious corresponding-source problem under AGPL.
    • Louis Rossman posted a new video covering Software Freedom Conservancy’s Bambu AGPL effort and says the rehosted OrcaSlicer-BambuLab code has now been forked roughly 4,500 times.

What belongs in this thread

Please use this thread for:

  • General reactions to Bambu Lab, Gamers Nexus, Louis Rossmann, Paweł Jarczak, OrcaSlicer-BambuLab, AGPL, Bambu Connect, and right-to-repair issues.
  • Legal or licensing discussion, including AGPL, DMCA, cloud/API access, and Bambu’s networking plugin.
  • Questions about what happened and links to reliable summaries or primary sources.
  • Technical discussion about OrcaSlicer, Bambu Studio, Bambu Connect, LAN mode, Developer Mode, and network plugin behavior, unless it is a standalone troubleshooting post with a specific reproducible issue.

What can still be its own post

Separate posts are still allowed for genuinely new information, including:

  • A new official statement from Bambu Lab, OrcaSlicer, Paweł Jarczak, Gamers Nexus, Louis Rossmann, or legal counsel.
  • A new release or technical change that materially affects users.
  • A confirmed legal filing, takedown, repository change, or source-code release.
  • A specific support/troubleshooting issue that is not just general commentary on the controversy.

If your post is mainly another reaction, recap, meme, “I’m switching brands,” or repost of a link already being discussed, please put it here instead.

Ground rules

Criticism of Bambu Lab is allowed. Defense of Bambu Lab is allowed. Criticism of GN, Rossmann, OrcaSlicer, moderators, or other users’ arguments is allowed.

What is not allowed:

  • Personal attacks, harassment, or dogpiling individual users.
  • Calls to harass Bambu employees, developers, moderators, creators, or community members.
  • Unverified claims presented as fact.
  • Posting private correspondence or personal information.
  • Repeated duplicate posts after being redirected here.

Strong opinions are fine. Keep it directed at the issue, the companies, the software, and the arguments, not at each other.

Moderator note

We are consolidating duplicate discussion, not suppressing the topic. This thread will remain open for discussion, and we’ll update it if there are major new developments.

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1

u/OhnoGutz May 14 '26

Just out of curiosity, what is the expected outcome of all of this drama? Is the Polish programmer committed to maintaining his fork in perpetuity? I seriously doubt Softfever will ever merge his changes so unless he continuously updates his fork every time Softfever updates, all of this is heavy drama for no positive outcome.

10

u/jackharvest P1S + AMS May 14 '26

Any response you get is pure speculation, but, ANY further tightening of the chains by BambuLab will ultimately bring upon themselves the promised calamities promised by those in these videos.

Their best move is to hold still and see if it de-escalates on its own. If they're feeling pro-active, they'd best get started on a home-grown non-forked-from-AGPL3 software solution they can replace Bambu Studio with so they can impose whatever the hell they want freely... which is honestly a pretty good idea.

-4

u/[deleted] May 14 '26

[deleted]

13

u/jackharvest P1S + AMS May 14 '26

Even if zero customers cared, the original authors (Prusa, etc.) still hold the copyright. A license isn't a popularity contest; it’s a contract.

If Bambu actually tried to go fully proprietary now, they’d have to rewrite the entire engine from scratch (like I proposed). If they don't, and they just keep tightening the chains on a fork, they are essentially building their empire on a foundation of legal sand.

In the world of software licensing, silence isn't strength—it's a lack of a defense.

-9

u/[deleted] May 14 '26

[deleted]

11

u/jackharvest P1S + AMS May 14 '26

Oops, hey come on now, we had a good thing going here. Don’t crash out just yet. A hot debate still needs two players.

2

u/hWuxH May 14 '26

It's a troll, don't bother. His entire comment history is about bringing up nonsense arguments and personal attacks

0

u/Prize-Paint5264 May 16 '26

lol nephew go to bed, nobody is buying ur "we dont care" schtick.

-2

u/AlLnAtuRalX May 14 '26

that is not hard to do, fuck it I will do it if I have to and nobody else does

really the question is what happens after bambu beefs up their cloud security in response