A popular manufacturer of 3D printers is sued. All because of… action figures
Bambu Lab must face a lawsuit filed by Pop Mart. The dispute concerns 3D printing models of the popular Labubu character that users posted on MakerWorld. The toy manufacturer claims that these are illegal copies of its products and demands responsibility not only from the authors of the models, but also from the platform itself. The trial is scheduled to start on April 2, 2026 and may prove to be an important precedent for the entire 3D printing industry.
The fashion for Labubu has passed, but Pop Mart is trying to change it
So far, the actions of copyright owners have been mainly limited to removing individual projects from model libraries. In the past, similar demands were made by, among others, The Walt Disney Company regarding models from the Star Wars universe or Honda regarding projects published on Printables. This time, however, the defendant is the file hosting platform, even though it did not create or publish the models in question.
After the case became public, Bambu Lab removed all Labubu-related projects from MakerWorld. However, the automatic action also led to the accidental deletion of many other files, from printer modifications to small accessories. The company later admitted it was an operational mistake and announced that most of the projects had been restored.
The character of Labubu itself was created by artist Kasing Lung from Hong Kong and has gained enormous popularity on social media (including TikTok, Instagram) since 2023. Collectible figurines sold in limited series have become a fashionable accessory, although according to market reports, interest in them is starting to decline.
Pop Mart apparently hopes that media publicity will restore them to their former glory. However, this is a rather naive approach – Labubu’s five minutes of fame are long gone. And someone who has printed for themselves or a friend a plastic model worth a few cents in filament (e.g. a pen stand) is definitely not the recipient of figures costing several hundred zlotys.
