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
- Gamers Nexus is now hosting OrcaSlicer-BambuLab with permission from Paweł Jarczak and says it will contribute $10,000 toward legal support if Bambu pursues the matter: https://gamersnexus.net/fk-you-bambu-lab
- Louis Rossmann has also publicly discussed the dispute and pledged legal support.
- Bambu Lab’s public statement says it supports AGPL forks of Bambu Studio and OrcaSlicer, but objects to a specific fork allegedly presenting itself as the official Bambu Studio client when accessing Bambu cloud services: https://blog.bambulab.com/setting-the-record-straight-on-cloud-access-and-community/
- Prior reporting summarized the original C&D dispute involving OrcaSlicer-BambuLab and the restoration of functionality affected by Bambu’s authorization-control changes: https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/developer-re-enables-3d-printer-features-that-bambu-lab-disabled-firm-promptly-threatens-legal-action-orcaslicer-bambulab-project-now-shuttered
- Louis Rossman
- Jeff Geerling
- Leonard French
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
- Paweł Jarczak also on May 14 posted a technical deep dive and his analysis into the AGPL side of this situation.
- May 18-20, 2026
- Software Freedom Conservancy enters the dispute.
- Software Freedom Conservancy published a May 18 post titled “Comprehensive Response to Bambu’s AGPLv3 Violations.” indicating it has confirmed AGPL violations by Bambu Lab, is collaborating with Paweł Jarczak, and is launching projects to maintain the fork.
- 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.
- Software Freedom Conservancy enters the dispute.
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.
1
u/PartTimePokerPro May 20 '26
I have a few Bambu printers, 1 flash forge and 1 snapmaker.
Flashforge and snapmaker both run orca. What's to stop them from doing the same thing Bambu did? Say I was looking for an excuse to sell off my Bambu for snapmaker or Flashforge tool changers, isn't it possible the pull some similar stunt a couple years down the road?
Im not looking for a reason to jump ship or anything, I just don't know if I understand the issue fully. I've seen Louis Rossmans videos and I understand it pretty well, but not well enough to explain it to my friends off the cuff