BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork • Hacker News Board

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#101

Post by BadBadJellyBean » Sat, May 23, 2026, 2:57 PM UTC

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #88

kennywinker wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Back then we considered legal action. We seriously did. But the practical reality: PrusaSlicer is software, not hardware. There's no boxed product crossing customs to stop - only real possibility which would make them comply. And jurisdiction for the licensee lands in China, which means the case lands in a Chinese court applying Chinese law to a Chinese company. If there is no legal recourse, but you believe in the…

I understand, appreciate and respect copyleft but I'm no zealot. Fundamentally this rubs me the same wrong way as others attempting to enforce social contracts do. It feels wrong to assume that western ethics should be universal and apply to a foreign entity such as a business in China. Perhaps they simply view this as a viable approach? And, surprise, it is, at least for them. Do I wish that weren't the case? Sure,…

I think you are missing the point. Someone made the software and assigned it a license. Bambulabs decided they wanted to build their product on top of that. No one forced them. It was a business decision. So it's first and foremost a dick move to not adhere to it.

They could have created their complete custom, closed source, commercially licensed slicer. They didn't. It was probably a lot cheaper to take some else's work and slap your customizations on it.

On open source license if first and foremost the original author's decision on what can and can not, must or must not be done with their code. therefore shaming someone for ignoring the wishes is not just a last resort, but a valid strategy. Especially if it is company that wants and has money.

We wouldn't need any legal avenue when saying "don't be a dick" would work. Not respecting someone's work and wishes seems to be a pretty universal dick move from what I understand.

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#102

Post by lnenad » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:05 PM UTC

avianlyric wrote: post #63

lnenad wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're overestimate the value of these prototypes. The print itself is either a plastic render of the final product without any value, or it's a shell without any actual useful parts/machinery. If we imagine we're talking about the 1% of 1% of 1% which could end up as useful IP stuff, but which might be very hard/impossible to find/understand/do anything with it, for which cases don't use bambu.

You’re making the assumption that customer product prototypes are the only prototypes produced by 3D printers. There’s plenty of other more valuable things that are prototyped using 3D printers, such as high end commercial machines, or components that go into those machines. I suspect that getting hold of STLs from US defence manufacturers would be extremely valuable. Why bother trying to capture a copy of your enemi…

I mean, if you want to make your point, yes. But I think it would be logical to assume "US defence manufacturers" wouldn't be using Bambu from the start, regardless of what their track record is.

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#103

Post by xyzzy_plugh » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:09 PM UTC

BadBadJellyBean wrote: post #101

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand, appreciate and respect copyleft but I'm no zealot. Fundamentally this rubs me the same wrong way as others attempting to enforce social contracts do. It feels wrong to assume that western ethics should be universal and apply to a foreign entity such as a business in China. Perhaps they simply view this as a viable approach? And, surprise, it is, at least for them. Do I wish that weren't the case? Sure,…

I think you are missing the point. Someone made the software and assigned it a license. Bambulabs decided they wanted to build their product on top of that. No one forced them. It was a business decision. So it's first and foremost a dick move to not adhere to it. They could have created their complete custom, closed source, commercially licensed slicer. They didn't. It was probably a lot cheaper to take some else's…

Believe me the point is not lost on me. But it's certainly not a universal dick move. It's an opportunity in a society that does not care for the laws on the other side of the world.

If it's such a universal dick move, then why do Chinese companies keep doing it? Do you imagine they realize they are being unethical? Perhaps your morals and ethics are less universal than you believe. Do you think that perhaps it is the case that a society that prides itself on its communist integrity might not hold fond feelings about copyright

I see businesses make this mistake again and again. I don't know why they expected a different outcome. You don't anthropomorphize a lawn mower. Shaming does nothing to improve the situation.

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#104

Post by kennywinker » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:12 PM UTC

qwerpy wrote: post #97

kennywinker wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Back then we considered legal action. We seriously did. But the practical reality: PrusaSlicer is software, not hardware. There's no boxed product crossing customs to stop - only real possibility which would make them comply. And jurisdiction for the licensee lands in China, which means the case lands in a Chinese court applying Chinese law to a Chinese company. If there is no legal recourse, but you believe in the…

I agree with the issue at stake but I’ve seen in practice where it can lead when people attach their morals to other people’s purchasing decisions. First, it’s “don’t buy their stuff”. Then “tell your friends not to buy their stuff”. Then it’s “shame random people who buy their stuff”. Then it’s “vandalize people’s stuff”. I know no one’s going to go into other peoples houses to break their printers, but the whole so…

So you bought a cybertruck _after_ the sig heil, and the gutting of the federal gov, and you’re somehow worried your bambu is going to draw the same level of anger?

Surely you can see the difference in stakes between those two situations? Or maybe you can’t… you bought a cybertruck lol

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#105

Post by false-mirror » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:12 PM UTC

Aurornis wrote: post #98

dsign wrote: post #15

I can't help but wonder how could, Bambulabs or the Chinese government, actually mine that data? In my mind, 3D models fail into two categories: artistic and utilitarian, though there's a continuum between those two. With the artistic side, the Chinese government could find itself in possession of tons and tons of Western miniatures. With the utilitarian side, they will find themselves in possession of lots and lots…

In every Bambu thread lately the assumption is that these battles are about regaining local access, but this whole battle started over trying to get Bambu Network cloud access back into OrcaSlicer. This is the first three lines of the FULU fork of OrcaSlicer from Louis Rossmann: > This version of OrcaSlicer restores full BambuNetwork support for Bambu Lab printers. > You are not limited to LAN only. > It works over t…

> Anyone using a Bambu printer for anything sensitive was already using LAN mode or SD card for printing

I'd like to just highlight that this may soon no longer be (legally) possible thanks to state legislation. At least in California, see: https://eff.org/3DPrintCA

I encourage folks to share this and the NY campaigns (eff.org/3DPrintNY), as this new surveillance does put people/industries relying on 3D printers at risk

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#106

Post by AdmiralAsshat » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:14 PM UTC

jonas_jensen wrote: post #47

Can I just say: thank you for posting an xcancel link and not linking to X directly! I forgot Xcancel was a thing, I might actually start using it occasionally now.

I'm surprised xcancel even works. I thought all the nitter servers had shut down.

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#107

Post by Joel_Mckay » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:20 PM UTC

hack1312 wrote: post #91

Joel_Mckay wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In general, the PRC government will install local politically connected members into advisor roles in almost all large companies. It is something a lot of businesses simply have no control over in that country, or in the US for that matter. The locked ecosystem posture is simply because with a billion people a firm of any size always has irrational competitors/cloners. Sometimes the governments national policy aligns…

China is not a communist country. They’re an example of state-capitalism.

They control supply and demand... and the US just found out their rare earth supply chain is insecure.

Japan has been dealing with their neighbors policies for years. And developed national state mineral reserves to mitigate political weather changes. =3

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#108

Post by kennywinker » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:20 PM UTC

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #103

BadBadJellyBean wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are missing the point. Someone made the software and assigned it a license. Bambulabs decided they wanted to build their product on top of that. No one forced them. It was a business decision. So it's first and foremost a dick move to not adhere to it. They could have created their complete custom, closed source, commercially licensed slicer. They didn't. It was probably a lot cheaper to take some else's…

Believe me the point is not lost on me. But it's certainly not a universal dick move. It's an opportunity in a society that does not care for the laws on the other side of the world. If it's such a universal dick move, then why do Chinese companies keep doing it? Do you imagine they realize they are being unethical? Perhaps your morals and ethics are less universal than you believe. Do you think that perhaps it is th…

What you’re espousing here is just basic moral relativism. Except what you’re getting wrong is that US companies break IP law constantly. It turns out companies aren’t moral actors, they’ll do whatever. The GPL is a business opportunity here too. It’s just that in the US/canada/eu the legal side is more enforceable. Don’t give a f about the GPL in china -> successful biz. Don’t give an f about the GPL in the US -> successful biz + a chance at a lawsuit or some social blowback. That’s the only real difference - no need to evoke some deep cultural or moral difference.

> Shaming does nothing to improve the situation.

Except it does? Less bambus are being sold because of this, and more printers from manufacturers that respect the open source licenses are being sold. In fact, bambu initially locked things down hard and the social blowback made them backpedal and gave us “lan-only mode”.

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#109

Post by amluto » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:20 PM UTC

Am I the only one who read this and contemplated that it would be entirely straightforward for a Chinese AI inference provider to efficiently scan their input and output token streams to identify cryptographic keys, access tokens and interesting vulnerabilities?

(And, frankly, for Western providers to do similar things. Even major players like OpenAI have terms that really should not be seen as commercially acceptable unless you manage to negotiate ZDR.)

Re: BambuStudio has been violating PrusaSlicer AGPL license since their fork

#110

Post by bsimpson » Sat, May 23, 2026, 3:25 PM UTC

flaunf221 wrote: post #49

Renaud wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everything that a Chinese company does is for nefarious reason or under the hidden agenda of the Chinese government. The reality is much more mundane: many Chinese companies do not understand the expectations around open source. There isn’t anything really equivalent in China. The closest mindset is that things that are available to use, are available to take. The notion of copyright -while not inexistent- is not…

> They are not idiots, but not everyone at that company will actually understand the duties that come with these licenses. Copyright is not some kind of spiritual nonsense. It's law. You don't need to understand how, you just need to follow it. There can be legal questions on what exactly you can do, but those can arise for any kind of law. Of course you could also ignore copyright law - but that's the same with any…

The internet is largely predicated on American law, because so much of it has been invented by Americans.

The EFF, Creative Commons, FSF - they're all based in America. The licenses they write are based on American legal concepts.

It's interesting to see a Czech CEO commenting on (and quoting) and English translation of Chinese law in the context of a license written in America. As he points out in the thread, AGPL is unenforceable against a Chinese company if China doesn't recognize the rights AGPL is predicated on.