3D printing is a fascinating hobby and one that has real-life applications. The idea of being able to build something and print it in your home is a DIYer’s dream. And that’s where the user-friendly 3D printing company Bambu Lab comes in. However, when an update made them less user-friendly, a controversy began brewing, which has only hit its peak now.
To start from the top, last year, YouTuber Louis Rossmann reported a new update to Bambu Lab printers that limited 3rd party software and uses for the printer. It required going through Bambu Lab’s own software, and the company at the time claimed this was to protect its devices. It’s important to note that this change happened after users had already bought and used its devices.
One workaround that people found was an open-source slicing program called OrcaSlicer that allowed users to use their 3D printers as they had prior. However, Bambu Lab reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to the developer behind the project, and they promptly took it down.
Bambu Lab cites section 1201 of the Digital Copyright Act, which argues “No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title.”
Rossmann points out that this is often cited by standard printer companies when users circumvent locks to use their own ink. Being able to buy ink virtually anywhere makes maintaining printers cheaper, so it has become a pro-consumer standpoint to remove as many barriers to entry as possible on this front. Rossmann’s company, FULU, has been campaigning against laws like it for some time now.
Get fucked, @BambulabGlobal. With permission of the developer to rehost, grab OrcaSlicer-BambuLab here: https://t.co/2V2YZHy2FlMay 12, 2026
The YouTuber notes that AGPL, which is the license Bambu’s software uses, is structured such that anyone who uses the software is permitted to do as they like with it. Effectively, Rossman is arguing that Bambu’s cease and desist could not feasibly win in court.
Bambu Lab’s software (Bambu Studio) is open source and a fork of PrusaSlicer, which itself is a fork of Slic3r. Bambu Lab explained a few days ago that it supports forks of its software, but not OrcaSlicer specifically, due to its nature. Bambu argues that it communicates with its own cloud infrastructure by “impersonating another entity”.
Rossman argues that the OrcaSlicer fork is using Bambu Lab’s own source code, and “this is interesting to me for a number of reasons, because he [the developer of OrcaSlicer] never actually modified the code. He’s literally using Bambu Lab’s own open-source AGPL code without modifying it.”
Louise Rossmann offered $10,000 for the developer of OrcaSlicer if they put it back up, and if Bambu Labs attempts to sue. They end the video saying, “If you’re watching this, Bamboo Labs, go f*** yourself. Pick on somebody your own size.”
The developer declined Rossman’s offer, as they didn’t want a long legal battle, so Rossman uploaded it themselves via GitHub. And that act has become somewhat of a digital rights war cry. Gamers Nexus recently took to its own website to say, “F*** you, Bambu Lab”, as it also posted the OrcaSlicer for anyone to download.
YouTuber Jeff Geerling has also come out in support of OrcaSlicer, and Geerling reportedly uses that slice on their own Bambu Lab printer at home. They said “Bambu Lab couldn’t leave well enough alone.”
Now, Bambu Lab is in a standoff against opponents with more social media attention, and presumably more cash for legal fees, than before. How it will go is anyone’s guess, but with the backing of YouTubers with over 6 million subscribers total, it’s sure to get eyes on it either way.
Rossmann thanked Gamers Nexus and Geerling for joining the cause and urged even more social media figures to join in. They said:
“Bambu, you can’t sue us all. Or maybe you will. You can sue us all. Maybe you can try to get us all put in federal prison. But maybe you should spend that money making your software a little better or making your users happier. But what do I know?”
