McDonald’s ice cream machines have gained a bad reputation for being broken when you visit the restaurant, largely due to strict copyright laws that only allow specially licensed technicians to legally repair them. Manufacturers must authorize each technician and lock McFlurry machines to prevent others from repairing them.
However, 404 Media spotted a new federal ruling Friday stating that technicians can legally bypass locks installed on McFlurry machines by the manufacturer. This means more technicians will be able to repair McDonald’s ice cream machines and is widely seen as a victory for the right to repair community.
iFixit, which publishes instructions for the tech repair community, published a breakdown of McFlurry machines last year, showing how to bypass these locks with a simple device, which McDonald’s had previously asked franchise owners not to use. From now on, franchisees are free to use them.