Bambu Lab threatens legal action over open source slicer fork

Bambu Lab has issued a public statement threatening legal action against the developer of an OrcaSlicer fork designated 'OrcaSlicer-bambulab'. The company alleges that the developer is impersonating their official client and introducing security vulnerabilities by injecting falsified identity metadata into network communications. These accusations form the core of Bambu's public response to the emergence of the modified software.

The developer has firmly rejected these claims, arguing that the fork utilises verbatim code licensed under the AGPL agreement from Bambu Studio. They contend that Bambu is exploiting the open source social contract to suppress users who prioritise local control over their hardware. The dispute centres on the fork's ability to allow users to utilise printer features without routing data through Bambu's cloud infrastructure.

Jeff Geerling, a prominent 3D printing enthusiast and blogger, has detailed his personal measures to regain control over his Bambu Lab P1S printer following the company's push for an always-connected cloud solution. To maintain ownership of his device, Geerling has blocked the printer from the internet via his OPNsense firewall, stopped firmware updates, locked the device into Developer mode, and switched from Bambu Studio to OrcaSlicer.

Geerling noted that Bambu Lab refused his request to publish full correspondence regarding the legal threat, instead releasing a one-sided public statement. He highlighted that Bambu did not contact him directly with the specific public accusations before publishing them, leaving him unable to reply directly to the claims made against him.

The incident occurs against a backdrop of previous forks within the Bambu ecosystem, including one in 2022 that inadvertently caused user telemetry to hit Prusa's servers without a subsequent cease and desist order. Bambu Lab's current stance contrasts with this earlier history, as they now threaten legal action over a modification that uses upstream code verbatim.

Community figures have rallied around the developer, with Louis Rossmann pledging $10,000 to assist in fighting Bambu's legal threats. However, Geerling suggests this may not be the most effective strategy for the developer, who previously stated he would likely never recommend another Bambu Lab printer again due to concerns over ownership and privacy.