Chinese manufacturer Bambu Lab faces a formal investigation for violating the AGPLv3 license after sending a cease and desist letter to developer Paweł Jarczak. This forced the removal of a fork of OrcaSlicer that restored cloud printing functions, sparking controversy in the 3D printing community.
The AGPLv3 license and software derivation 🔍
Bambu Studio derives directly from PrusaSlicer and Slic3r, both under AGPLv3. This license requires that any derivative work keep the code open and distribute its changes. By using the software to create Bambu Studio, the company accepted these terms. Now, by attempting to remove forks that restore removed functions, it may be violating the very license that allowed it to create its base product.
The fork that came back to haunt Bambu Lab 🔄
It seems the philosophy of open source is like a boomerang: it always comes back, and sometimes hits you in the back of the head. Developer Jarczak only restored functions that already existed, but Bambu Lab felt so offended that they demanded their removal. Now, the community hopes the manufacturer learns that you can't close the door when the wall has already been knocked down.