McDonald’s ice cream machines have developed a lousy reputation for being broken when you visit the restaurant, largely due to strict copyright laws that only permit specially licensed technicians to legally repair them. The manufacturers have to license each technician, and they put locks on the McFlurry machines to prevent others from repairing them.
However, 404 Media spotted a new federal ruling on Friday declaring that technicians can legally hack their way around the locks put on McFlurry machines by the manufacturer. This means that more technicians will be able to repair McDonald’s ice cream machines and is widely seen as a win for the right to repair community.
iFixit, which posts how-to’s for the tech repair community, posted a breakdown of McFlurry machines last year, showing how to circumvent these locks with a simple device, which McDonald’s previously asked franchise owners not to use. Now, franchise owners are free to use them.