McDonald’s ice cream machines have developed a bad reputation for breaking down when visiting the restaurant due to strict copyright laws that only allow specially qualified technicians to legally repair them. Manufacturers must license each technician and install locks on McFlurry machines to prevent repairs by anyone else.
But 404 Media discovered a new federal ruling on Friday declaring that technicians can legally hack the locks that manufacturers put on McFlurry machines. This means more technicians will be able to repair McDonald’s ice cream machines and is widely seen as a victory for community repair rights.
iFixit, which publishes how-tos for the tech repair community, posted a breakdown of a McFlurry machine last year showing how to bypass these locks with a simple device that McDonald’s had previously asked franchise owners not to use. Now franchise owners are free to use it.
