There was a brand new replace to the continued Stratasys v. Bambu Lab patent infringement lawsuit.
Each events have agreed to consolidate the lead and member circumstances (2:24-CV-00644-JRG and a couple of:24-CV-00645-JRG) right into a single case below Case No. 2:25-cv-00465-JRG.
Industrial 3D printing OEM Stratasys filed the request late final month. In keeping with an official court docket doc, Shenzhen-based Bambu Lab didn’t oppose the movement. Stratasys argued that this non-opposition amounted to the defendants waiving their proper to problem the request below U.S. patent regulation 35 U.S.C. § 299(a).
On June 2, the U.S. District Courtroom for the Japanese District of Texas, Marshall Division, ordered Bambu Lab to verify in writing whether or not it agreed to the proposed case consolidation. The court docket took this step out of an “abundance of warning” to make sure each events consented to the process earlier than shifting ahead.
Bambu Lab submitted its response on June 12, agreeing to the consolidation. The corporate, together with co-defendants Shenzhen Tuozhu Expertise Co., Ltd., Shanghai Lunkuo Expertise Co., Ltd., and Tuozhu Expertise Restricted, waived its rights below 35 U.S.C. § 299(a). The court docket will now determine whether or not to merge the circumstances.
This adopted U.S. District Choose Rodney Gilstrap’s choice final month to disclaim Bambu Lab’s movement to dismiss the lawsuits.
The Chinese language desktop 3D printer producer filed the movement in February 2025, arguing the circumstances had been invalid as a result of its US-based subsidiary, Bambu Lab USA, was not named within the authentic litigation. Nevertheless, it agreed that the lawsuit might proceed within the Austin division of the Western District of Texas, the place a parallel case was filed final 12 months.
Choose Gilstrap denied the movement, ruling that the circumstances correctly goal the named defendants. He concluded that Bambu Lab USA isn’t important to the dispute, and that any misnaming ought to be addressed in abstract judgment, not dismissal.
One other twist within the Stratasys v. Bambu Lab lawsuit
Stratasys filed the 2 lawsuits in opposition to Bambu Lab within the Japanese District of Texas, Marshall Division, in August 2024. The corporate claims that Bambu Lab’s X1C, X1E, P1S, P1P, A1, and A1 mini 3D printers violate ten of its patents. These patents cowl frequent 3D printing options, together with purge towers, heated construct plates, instrument head drive detection, and networking capabilities.
Stratasys has requested a jury trial. It’s searching for a ruling that Bambu Lab infringed its patents, together with monetary damages and an injunction to cease Bambu from promoting the allegedly infringing 3D printers.
Final October, Stratasys dropped fees in opposition to two of the initially named defendants within the dispute. Courtroom paperwork confirmed that Beijing Tiertime Expertise Co., Ltd. and Beijing Yinhua Laser Fast Prototyping and Mould Expertise Co., Ltd had been eliminated. Each defendants symbolize the corporate Tiertime, China’s first 3D printer producer. The District Courtroom accepted the dismissal, with all claims dropped with out prejudice.
It’s unclear why Stratasys named Beijing-based Tiertime as a defendant within the first place, given the dearth of an apparent connection to Bambu Lab.
Tiertime and Stratasys have a historical past of authorized disputes over patent points. In 2013, Stratasys sued Afinia, Tiertime’s U.S. distributor and accomplice, for patent infringement. Afinia responded by suing uCRobotics, the Chinese language distributor of MakerBot 3D printers, additionally alleging patent violations. Stratasys acquired MakerBot in June 2013. The corporate later merged with Ultimaker in 2022.
In February 2025, Bambu Lab filed a movement to dismiss the unique lawsuits. The corporate argued that Stratasys’ claims, targeted on the sale, importation, and distribution of 3D printers in the USA, don’t apply to the Shenzhen-based mother or father firm. Bambu Lab contended that the allegations concern its American subsidiary, Bambu Lab USA, which was not named within the criticism filed within the Japanese District of Texas.
Bambu Lab filed a movement to dismiss, claiming the case is invalid below Federal Rule of Civil Process 19. It argued that any get together thought-about a “main participant” within the allegations have to be included as a defendant.
The court docket denied the movement on Might 29, 2025. Within the ruling, Choose Gilstrap defined that Stratasys’ allegations give attention to the actions of the named defendants, not Bambu Lab USA. Consequently, the official court docket doc known as Bambu Lab’s argument “unavailing.” Moreover, the Choose acknowledged that, since Bambu Lab USA and Bambu Lab are each owned by Shenzhen Tuozhu, “the curiosity of those two entities align,” which means the unique circumstances are legitimate.
Within the official court docket doc, Choose Gilstrap emphasised that Stratasys can win or lose the lawsuits based mostly solely on the actions of the present defendants, no matter Bambu Lab USA’s involvement. He added that any potential threat to Bambu Lab USA’s enterprise is simply too imprecise or hypothetical to justify making it a required get together.
Lastly, the court docket famous that even when Stratasys named the incorrect defendant, this doesn’t justify dismissal below Rule 12(b)(7). As an alternative, the decide acknowledged it might be extra acceptable for the defendants to boost that argument in a movement for abstract judgment.
3D printing patent battles
The 3D printing trade has seen its justifiable share of patent infringement disputes over latest months. In Might 2025, 3D printer hotend developer Slice Engineering reached an settlement with Creality over a patent non-infringement lawsuit.
The Chinese language 3D printer OEM filed the lawsuit in July 2024 within the U.S. District Courtroom for the Northern District of Florida, Gainesville Division. The corporate claimed that Slice Engineering had falsely accused it of infringing two hotend patents, U.S. Patent Nos. 10,875,244 and 11,660,810. These cowl mechanical and thermal options of Slice’s Mosquito 3D printer hotend. Creality requested a jury trial and sought a ruling confirming it had not infringed both patent.
Courtroom paperwork present that Slice Engineering filed a countersuit in December 2024. The Gainesville-based firm maintained that Creaility “has infringed and continues to infringe” on each patents. Within the submitting, the corporate additionally denied allegations that it had harassed Creality’s companions, distributors, and clients, and claimed that Creality had refused to barter a decision.
The Creality v. Slice Engineering lawsuit has since been dropped following a mutual decision. Courtroom paperwork present that each events have completely dismissed all claims and counterclaims, agreeing to cowl their very own authorized charges and prices.
In different information, large-format resin 3D printer producer Intrepid Automation sued 3D Programs over alleged patent infringement. The lawsuit, filed in February 2025, accused 3D Programs of utilizing patented know-how in its PSLA 270 industrial resin 3D printer. The submitting known as the PSLA 270 a “blatant knock off” of Intrepid’s DLP multi-projection “Vary” 3D printer.
San Diego-based Intrepid Automation known as this alleged infringement the “newest chapter of 3DS’s brazen, anticompetitive scheme to drive a smaller competitor with extra superior know-how out of {the marketplace}.” The lawsuit additionally accused 3D Programs of company espionage, claiming certainly one of its workers stole confidential commerce secrets and techniques that had been later used to develop the PSLA 270 printer.
3D Programs denied the allegations and filed a movement to dismiss the case. The corporate known as the lawsuit “a determined try” by Intrepid to distract from its personal alleged theft of 3D Programs’ commerce secrets and techniques.
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Featured picture exhibits a Stratasys Fortus 450mc (left) and a Bambu Lab X1C (proper). Picture by 3D Printing trade.
