McDonald’s can now legally repair its own ice cream machines thanks to a ruling made by the Federal Trade Commission and US Copyright Office.
Having the right to repair things you purchase has been a major conversation throughout many industries over the years, due to many companies preventing buyers from making their own repairs.
One of the most prevalent examples of this is the commonly unavailable McDonald’s Ice Cream machines, which has become a bit of a meme across social media.
The manufacturer, Taylor Company, has held a copyright on their machines which made it so only they were allowed to make repairs to the machines. However, thanks to a joint effort from the US FTC and Copyright Office, that’s all going to change.
McDonald’s first introduced ice cream to menus way back in the 1940s
In the ruling made on October 25, the US Copyright Office issued an exemption to Taylor Company’s copyright that will allow McDonald’s to repair their own machines.
This comes after the FTC filed a comment in March to support the change. FTC Chair Lina Khan shared the news in a post on X on Wednesday, October 30.
“Thanks to the US Copyright Office, McDonald’s franchisees now have the right to repair their own ice cream machines. In March the FTC filed a comment in support of this change, and we’ll keep using our tools to protect people’s right to repair,” she said.
After hearing the news, users flocked to the replies to share their thoughts about the change.
“Glad you got this done,” one user commented.
Another said: “You [Lina Khan] literally can do everything, how?”
“Ok, you’re focused on real issues finally,” a third replied.
This is just the latest change from the FTC in October. On October 21, Khan revealed that a ruling that bans view botting live streams and buying followers on social media was finally enacted, making it illegal.