Local NewsNational

Actions

Are broken ice cream machines at McDonald's a thing of the past?

The U.S. Copyright Office has granted a copyright exemption to give McDonald's the right to get its machines repaired by any technician.
McDonald's McFlurry.
Posted

The issue of broken ice cream machines at McDonald’s might be a thing of the past after a recent court ruling.

The fast food chain said its franchise locations weren’t able to promptly fix their ice cream machines because the company that manufactured them owned the exclusive rights to repair them.

But now, the U.S. Copyright Office has granted a copyright exemption to give the restaurants the right to get the machines repaired by other technicians and bypass the digital locks that previously prevented them from doing so.

RELATED STORY | Colorado teen hospitalized with kidney failure after eating E. coli-infected McDonald's burgers

Broken ice cream machines at McDonald’s became something of a lore, gaining a cult following and spawning endless memes.

Someone even created a website to track the malfunctions at McDonald’s locations across the country, called McBroken.com.