McDonald's rejoices as company wins legal battle to fix 'one of life's greatest nuisances'
The restaurant's ice cream machines are notorious for always being out of service due to a requirement that only the machine's manufacturer can fix them.
The US government has stepped in to grant a copyright exemption that gives the 'right to repair' broken machines.
The restaurant's ice cream machines are notorious for always being out of service due to a requirement that only the machine's manufacturer can fix them.
The US government has stepped in to grant a copyright exemption that gives 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 works exclusively with Taylor Company, which added digital locks to the ice cream machines to prevent third parties from fixing them.
McDonald's works exclusively with Taylor Company, which added digital locks to the ice cream machines to prevent third parties from fixing them.
Nearly 15 percent of McDonald's ice cream machines are currently not working and at any given time, they're broken at least 10 percent of the franchise's locations.
'It's been a long and rocky road to secure a right to repair, and while there are plenty of dips and twists ahead, today's decision from the Copyright Office will lead to an overdue shake-up...
'It's been a long and rocky road to secure a right to repair, and while there are plenty of dips and twists ahead, today's decision from the Copyright Office will lead to an overdue shake-up...
(Rose Queen of Bun Puns!)
of the commercial food prep industry,' Rose.
of the commercial food prep industry,' Rose.
'There's nothing vanilla about this victory,' she continued. '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.'
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 it's popular ice cream menu items also means they're losing $625 in daily sales at each location, amounting to a loss of $17,500 per month.
The restaurant's inability to offer it's popular ice cream menu items also means they're losing $625 in daily sales at each location, amounting to a loss of $17,500 per month.
McDonald's wins legal battle to fix 'one of life's g...