Jeff Geerling

I've seen a few people trying to defend Bambu Lab's bullying of an open source developer over completely legal AGPL code use...

Now @conservancy is raising funds to stop companies like Bambu Labs from abusing the AGPL and open source devs: https://sfconservancy.org/news/2026/may/18/bambu-studio-3d-printer-agpl-violation-response/

Comprehensive Response to Bambu's AGPLv3 Violations

Software Freedom Conservancy (“SFC”) announces a new initiative regarding the software right to repair for users and consumers of 3D printers manufactured by Bambu Lab. After recent news of violations of the Affero General Public License, version 3 (“AGPLv3”), SFC staff began a comprehensive AGPLv3 compliance investigation of both the userspace software and firmware on Bambu's devices. While the investigation is ongoing, two specific AGPLv3 violations have been confirmed.

Software Freedom Conservancy
May 19 at 6:56pmWeb
Show threadJohn Poole3d ago
@geerlingguy @conservancy gotta luv lawyers: they keep the playing field fair and boy, these days in the USA, "now more than ever"
Show threadStephan Neuhaus3d ago
@geerlingguy @conservancy Excellent news
Show threadR.L. Dane    🍵 3d ago

@geerlingguy @conservancy

"BuT tHeY'rE jUsT PrOtEcTiNg ThEiR ShAreHoldErS iNtErE—"

shaddap shaddap shaddap shaddap shaddap

Show threadpixx3d ago

@rl_dane @geerlingguy @conservancy

that's literally just "but they're just being selfish!" lol

Show threadR.L. Dane    🍵 3d ago

@pixx @geerlingguy @conservancy

Locking your front door and congressional insider trading are both forms of selfishness.

One is far more odious than the other.

Show threadderptron3d ago
@geerlingguy @conservancy Not also going to sue them? Do they lack the standing and need bamboo to do the suing?
Show threadkasperd2d ago

If we assume the allegations of Bambu Lab violating copyright are true, then I think that it’s the copyright holders who have the standing to sue. Usually that means the authors of the original code or their employers.

If Bambu Lab is going to sue an independent third party developer, then their defense is likely going to state that they have received a license to the software from the original author and that unlike Bambu Lab they are acting within the license.

But since it sounds like the third party developer didn’t feel like standing up to Bambu Lab it doesn’t sound like they are headed for court. Regardless of whether that third party developer want to take on the fight or not, I do respect their choice. I know it sucks to be in that situation, and they are given the choice between two paths which each suck in their own ways. It sounds like that third party developer did not deserve to be in that situation.

Show threadBradley M. Kühn1d ago

@crazyeddie

Take a look at #SFC's Principles of Community-Oriented #GPL Enforcement found here:

https://sfconservancy.org/copyleft-compliance/principles.html

While that's tailored to the question of GPL (as opposed to #LGPL or #AGPL enforcement), a universal principle in #copyleft enforcement is always to use litigation as a last resort. Take a look at SFC's #baltobu project; we want to get working solutions to users ASAP:
https://f.sfconservancy.org/baltobu

Cc: @geerlingguy

#SoftwareFreedom #OpenSource #AGPLv3 #Bambu #BambuLab

Principles of Community-Oriented GPL Enforcement - Software Freedom Conservancy

The Software Freedom Conservancy provides a non-profit home and services to Free, Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects.

Show threadsammypanda2d ago
@geerlingguy @conservancy let em defend so Bambu Labs thinks they have a case and then when we win that case it can be good precedent 🥰 /hj
Show threadadingbatponder  👾2d ago
@geerlingguy @conservancy Fabulous. Comeuppance! #bambulabs are bad actors and are not getting a Christmas card from me this year.
Show threadgunstick2d ago
@geerlingguy @conservancy bamboo used the user agent as an authentication token. Which is the biggest bullshit ever.
If they want authentication they should have an "auth" file locally on the PC, not under AGPL which is used by the code to authenticate.
Yes that makes the installation more convoluted.
Seems to be easier to keep their cloud closed up via lawyers than via code.
Show threadSoftware Freedom Conservancy2d ago
@geerlingguy Appreciate the support! We're doing our best to stand up for users and make sure that people who bought hardware because of the free software on it, can keep all the promises that the free software guarantees them.