Today is not one of those days where it feels like nothing will ever change and the best thing you can do is just learn to tolerate mediocrity, as Public Knowledge announced that the US Copyright Office granted an exemption request to allow McDonald’s franchise owners to hire a third-party to repair their McFlurry and soft serve ice cream machines. Previously, franchise owners were unable to hire outside businesses to work on the machines due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) restrictions. This law prohibited anyone from bypassing the digital lock on a copyrighted work, such as the McDonald’s ice cream machines, unless done by the original manufacturer. The recent exemption overrules this law, providing relief for franchise owners who previously had to wait for McDonald’s corporation-approved repair personnel. The issue caught the attention of the Federal Trade Commission in 2021, prompting new regulations to allow consumers to repair their own devices and hire third-parties for repairs. A teardown by iFixit revealed that the ice cream machines had easily replaceable parts, but federal copyright laws prevented repairs until the exemption was granted. iFixit also produced a video explaining the inner workings of the machine in more detail, showcasing the impact of the exemption.
