McFlurry fans and U.S. government officials alike had almost entirely given up on those elusive McDonald’s ice cream machines ever working consistently, but thanks to a new ruling from the U.S. Copyright Office, change is on the way.
For years, McDonald’s ice cream machines have had an unrivaled ability to break down exactly when the craving for a McFlurry hits. It’s gotten so bad that an entire website popped up a few years ago just to keep tabs on which locations had functioning machines. Franchise owners have repeatedly voiced their frustration, and McDonald’s has even embraced the joke.
we have a joke about our soft serve machine but we’re worried it won’t work
— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) August 11, 2020
And why was every McDonald’s location plagued with the same issue? Turns out, since 1956, McDonald’s has relied on the Taylor Company for its soft-serve machines. Until now, only Taylor was allowed to fix the machines, keeping McFlurry lovers at their mercy for repairs. But now with a new ruling from the U.S. Copyright Office, McDonald’s can finally go rogue and fix the machines themselves — no permission needed from Taylor.
The change comes after advocacy group Public Knowledge and e-commerce repair site iFixit championed the “right to repair” fight.
“There’s nothing vanilla about this victory,” said Meredith Rose, senior policy counsel at Public Knowledge. “An exemption for retail-level commercial food preparation equipment will spark a flurry of third-party repair activity and enable businesses to better serve their customers.”
Now, McDonald’s employees just have to figure out how to fix the thing without starting a nationwide machine meltdown. Here’s hoping.