There’s nothing more irritating to McDonald’s customers than a busted McFlurry machine. The reasons behind the appliance’s seemingly near-constant breakdowns are complex, but one source of trouble may have been solved for good. This week, a government agency ruled that the dairy treat dispensers can be repaired in a timely fashion. In the past, when the machines malfunctioned, franchisees would have to wait for the manufacturer to service them, a process that could take as long as 90 days. The company holds a copyright on the machine as well as exclusivity when it comes to repairing them, thanks to a “lockout” chip that discourages third-party intervention. Independent repair advocates iFixIt and Public Knowledge recently petitioned the U.S. Copyright Office to have the digital lockout removed and won. The ruling covers “retail-level food preparation equipment, including soft-serve ice cream machines similar to those at McDonald’s.” That doesn’t mean that all McFlurry machines will now be repaired immediately. McDonald’s locations experiencing failure will need to seek repair. In addition, the machines require a lengthy disinfecting process that usually prompts partial disassembly, which can take hours. There’s always the apple pie.
