iFixit Cites Right to Repair on McDonald’s ‘Always Broken’ Ice Cream Machine—Wants DMCA Exemption

The cheap and tasty frozen treats from McDonald's are always unavailable because it is "always broken," with iFixit taking it to their hands to see what is exactly wrong with the machine in its recent teardown video. Still, the repair advocate and vendor have cited that there is a "right to repair issue" on the machine by its makers, the Taylor Company, who still heads its repairs exclusively.

iFixit Cites Right to Repair on McDonald's Ice Cream Machine

iFixit's recent video caused quite a stir, as it did not feature any repair videos for the latest tech, but because it did a teardown video of a McDonald's ice cream machine that they were able to get their hands on. Shahram Mokhtari of iFixit worked on the Taylor C709 Soft Serve Freezer, a unit that the fast food restaurant has been using, but immediately encountered errors on its startup.

After several error codes and different inspections on the machine, iFixit saw a hard time in repairing the said machine, and in one part, explained their stand on it. The team claimed that it partnered with Public Knowledge in raising a petition, one that centers on a right-to-repair clause for the McDonald's ice cream machine so that restauranteurs can fix it.

It is quite noting that McDonald's has an exclusive agreement with Taylor, and the company makes 25 percent of its profits from service calls on the said machines, charging $350 per 15 minutes of the service, says Ars Technica.

'Always Broken': iFixit Wants DMCA Exemption for the Machine

Alongside their right to repair claims, iFixit and Public Knowledge are also raising this concern to the US Copyright Office to provide a DMCA exemption on bypassing its codes.

Currently, it is illegal to bypass said codes on Taylor's machines, considering it is commercial equipment with many people availing of its products via McDonald's.

iFixit and McDonald's Ice Cream Machine

Yes, a lot of people are frustrated with McDonald's and it is not mainly because of the quality of its products or food-related health issues that has been a regular concern with the fast food industry.

This is because of the notorious ice cream machine that is broken regularly, with some McDonald's branches always telling customers that their frozen treats are unavailable because it is broken. It was a significant joke that has been running on X (formerly Twitter) and other social media platforms, with the ice cream machine always the subject of memes.

It faced massive attention from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with the regulatory body pressing Taylor, as to why it prevents the restaurants and its franchise owners from fixing the ice cream machine on their own.

The right-to-repair issue on McDonald's ice cream machine, centering on its creator, Taylor, has been an issue before, and now, a repair advocate is bringing this case to courts again. The infamous issue of McDonald's ice cream machine is still a problem that the country faces now, with iFixit looking to raise the right to repair and have it a DMCA exemption, in hopes of finally fixing it.