The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) has launched an investigation into potential violations of free licenses in the software and firmware of the Bambu Lab 3D printers. This investigation comes in response to threats made against a developer who enabled direct printing on Bambu Lab 3D printers without using the proprietary Bambu Connect application. The SFC also announced an initiative to defend the rights of individuals to independently repair their devices, which includes efforts to reverse engineer Bambu Lab’s proprietary libraries and the creation of an independent fork of the Bambu Studio platform.
Bambu Studio, a package developed by Bambu Lab, is a fork of the open-source project Prusa Slicer and is distributed under the AGPLv3 license. A firmware update released by Bambu Lab a year ago included a change that prevented direct printing on their 3D printers. This change required users to install the proprietary application Bambu Connect in order to continue printing with alternative software, such as OrcaSlicer.
One enthusiast developed a workaround for OrcaSlicer that allowed direct communication with Bambu Lab 3D printers without the need for Bambu Connect. However, the developer was forced to remove the code repository under threat of legal action from Bambu Studio, despite the code being based on the AGPLv3-licensed Bambu Studio project.
The SFC has accused Bambu Lab of violating the AGPLv3 license by pressuring the enthusiast and claiming that their terms of service supersede the requirements of the license. Additionally, the SFC identified violations in the Bambu Studio application, particularly in the use of the libbambu_networking library, for which the source code is not provided. Combining AGPL code with a proprietary library in one product goes against the stipulations of the license.
To support users affected by these license violations, the SFC has launched the project baltobu. This initiative aims to assist 3D printer users in navigating the challenges posed by Bambu Lab’s actions.