McDonald’s fans rejoice as company wins legal battle to solve ‘one of life’s biggest annoyances’

McDonald’s customers are rejoicing after the fast food chain won a legal battle to find a solution to what they say is ‘one of life’s biggest annoyances’.

Fast food restaurant ice cream machines are notorious for always being out of service due to the requirement that only the machine’s manufacturer can resolve any issues.

Now the US government has stepped in, granting a copyright exception that gives restaurants the “right to repair broken machines.”

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed in 1998 to protect creators, including machine manufacturers, from the unlawful reproduction and distribution of their creations.

McDonald’s has partnered exclusively with Taylor Company, which has added digital locks to its ice cream machines to prevent third parties from repairing them.

Customers took to social media to applaud the change, with one person writing on X: ‘Finally! McDonald’s can now repair its own ice cream machines. More ice cream for everyone!’

Nearly 15 percent of McDonald’s ice cream machines in the U.S. are currently not working, and at least 10 percent of the franchise’s locations are broken at some point.

‘It has been a long and difficult road to securing the right to repair, and while there are still many dips and twists ahead, today’s decision from the Copyright Office will lead to an overdue shake-up in the commercial food preparation industry says Meredith Rose. , senior policy advisor at Public Knowledge, said in a statement last week.

As of Wednesday, nearly 15 percent of all McDonald’s ice cream machines are broken, causing the company to lose $625 in sales per day for each affected store

In light of the new ruling, customers who had not tasted McDonald’s ice cream or had not eaten it in years expressed excitement about being confident that they could actually order the item.

‘Dead people have never tasted ice cream at McDonald’s. Since I was 9, I was always told, “Our machines are broken,” someone wrote on

‘Great news for McDonald’s lovers!’ another person wrote. ‘If the ice cream maker is broken, it’s no longer ‘bye McFlurry’! They can make it themselves!’

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) called on McDonald’s in March this year to allow it to repair its own machines, amid demands for an exemption from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ( DMCA).

Public Knowledge, a consumer advocacy group, and e-commerce website iFixit have also petitioned the U.S. Copyright Office to implement an exception to the law.

The U.S. Copyright Office ruled in favor of the exception to the DMCA, which allows McDonald’s to repair its own machines or hire outside vendors to do so. The exemption took effect on Monday.

IFixit reported that the devices contained “many easily replaceable parts” after looking at one of McDonald’s machines last year, meaning customers could easily find a McFlurry at any location if the company was allowed to repair its machines.

“Today’s recommendations are a win for everyone: franchisees, independent repair shops and anyone who has had to bribe their kids with a cold treat on long car rides,” Rose said.

“There’s nothing vanilla about this win,” she continued. “An exemption for commercial food preparation equipment at the retail level will spark a surge in third-party repair activity and allow businesses to better serve their customers.”

The FTC fought to allow McDonald’s to repair its machines, despite a copyright law that only allowed the manufacturer to make repairs

This isn’t the first time the FTC has tried to fix broken McDonald’s ice cream machines.

In 2021, the FTC investigated complaints about the defective machines and informed workers that it planned to look into take-it-or-leave-it contracts, non-compete agreements, repair limitations and exclusion clauses. clauses.

“We have seen how abuses of market power and consumer protection concerns can arise when unilateral contract terms are imposed by dominant companies,” FTC Chair Lina Khan wrote at the time.

“Consumers, employees, franchisees and other market participants are significantly disadvantaged if they cannot freely negotiate terms.”

McDonald’s ice cream machines have been made exclusively by the Taylor Company for the past 70 years, and because they own the copyright to the machines, only its repairmen can legally repair them.

Although the company’s website states that “fast, personal service is always around the corner,” McDonald’s locations often wait months before a repairman can get the ice cream machines working again.

The repairs also come with a hefty price tag, with the FTC reporting that Taylor charges up to $300 for every 15 minutes of work.

The restaurant’s inability to offer its popular ice cream menu items also means they are losing $625 in daily sales at each location, which amounts to a loss of $17,500 per month.

Customers are so annoyed by the broken machines that a developer has created a website for it McBrokendocumenting all locations where the franchise’s ice machines are not working.

As of Wednesday, 32 percent of New York locations were broken, along with 20.5 percent in San Antonio, 20 percent in San Francisco and 18.7 percent in Seattle.