The Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) confirmed in May 2026 that Bambu Lab has been in violation of the AGPLv3 license for its libbambu_networking component, following a months-long compliance investigation. The SFC says the networking library, which Bambu Studio depends on, has not been fully released as open source despite AGPLv3 requirements, and that Bambu Lab also sent a cease-and-desist notice to a community fork accused of impersonating an official project.
What This Means for Bambu Lab Users
For most users, day-to-day printing isn’t affected, but the dispute highlights ongoing friction between Bambu Lab and the open-source community over how much of Bambu Studio’s networking and cloud-connection code is actually open. Users who rely on community forks like OrcaSlicer, or who care about being able to audit and modify the software running their printers, may want to follow this story closely, as it could affect future firmware and slicer compatibility.
The Open-Source Response
The community-led “baltobu” project, which aims to reverse-engineer Bambu Lab’s network library and maintains forks of OrcaSlicer and Bambu Studio (the latter named “viscose”), reached its fundraising goal of $250,007 to fund continued development. Bambu Lab had previously addressed community concerns in a May 7, 2026 blog post titled “Setting the Record Straight on Cloud Access and Community,” stating that more than 734 forks of its repositories exist and defending its approach to Cloud Access and Authorization Control.
What’s Next
The SFC plans to convene a standing committee in June 2026, made up of manufacturers, users, and licensing experts, to address AGPLv3 compliance issues across the 3D printing industry more broadly. Updates on Bambu Lab’s response to the confirmed violation, and on the baltobu/viscose fork’s progress, are expected in the coming weeks.
Source: Software Freedom Conservancy