Bambu Lab, Pop Mart Settle IP Dispute Over Labubu 3D Models on MakerWorld

Bambu Lab reached a settlement with Pop Mart International Group Ltd. over unauthorized 3D-printable models of the Labubu character hosted on MakerWorld, ending a copyright lawsuit that had been scheduled to go to trial on April 2, 2026. Bambu Lab announced the resolution on March 16 via its official Weibo account, stating: "At present, we have held friendly consultations with Pop Mart and reached a settlement, and all relevant content has been fully removed from the platform. Bambu Lab will continue to uphold a healthy creative ecosystem and provide users with a higher-quality creative and 3D printing experience."

Pop Mart had filed the copyright lawsuit in China against Shenzhen Bambu Technology Co., Ltd. and its affiliated companies, alleging that MakerWorld hosted user-uploaded files based on Pop Mart's Labubu and Twinkle Twinkle characters, enabling users to download and print highly similar designer toy figurines at home. The central legal question, as framed by specialist coverage, was whether a platform faces joint liability if it knew or should have known about infringing uploads and failed to act. No specifics of the settlement have been disclosed, though the agreement removed the April 2 court date from the calendar.

The scale of the infringement problem on MakerWorld was not trivial. According to Bambu Lab's own 2025 data report, the platform carried roughly 10 million monthly active users and a catalog of approximately 2.6 million original models by year-end. One flagship Labubu listing alone had accumulated download totals in the high five figures. MakerWorld had already begun removing disputed models after the Chinese New Year holiday, well before the March 16 settlement announcement. The automated takedown pulled every Labubu knock-off toy, keychain, fidget, and cookie cutter from the platform.

The cleanup was not without collateral damage. The automated action delisted dozens of unrelated files alongside the infringing Labubu content, drawing complaints across Reddit and MakerWorld forums. Bambu Lab responded directly to user inquiries: "After looking into this with the relevant team, we've learned that some models were accidentally delisted due to an operational error on MakerWorld. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused." The company also apologized for the broader "distress" caused by the dispute. User concerns about unpredictable takedowns and stricter moderation of branded keywords had actually been building since 2025, with searches for Pop Mart IP on MakerWorld returning no results as moderation intensified ahead of the settlement.

The timing carries a particular irony for Bambu Lab. The company had been developing a Creator Copyright Protection Service specifically designed to let MakerWorld Exclusive Designers report models illegally uploaded to other platforms, positioning itself as a protector of original work even while facing accusations of hosting infringing content itself. Commentary from analyst Michael MA placed the Bambu Lab dispute alongside ByteDance's suspension of its Seedance 2.0 global launch as parallel examples of Chinese tech firms navigating intensifying copyright pressure, one from Hollywood over AI video generation and one from Pop Mart over 3D printing models.

The business impact argument behind Pop Mart's lawsuit was straightforward: third parties were using Bambu Lab printers to manufacture Labubu reproductions cheaply and sell them at prices that undercut Pop Mart's official products, directly hurting its revenue. Bambu Lab itself did not create or upload any of the infringing models, but the platform's reach made it a significant vector for the problem. Whether the settlement includes any ongoing platform monitoring obligations or policy changes beyond the content removal remains undisclosed.