Broken McDonald’s ice cream machines can be fixed faster thanks to a new federal law

McDonald’s ice cream machines have developed a bad reputation for being infringing when you visit the restaurant, mainly because of strict copyright laws that only allow specially licensed professionals to legally repair them. Manufacturers must license each technician, and install locks on McFlurry machines to prevent others from repairing them.

However, 404 Media saw a new federal ruling on Friday declaring that technicians can legally hack the locks installed on McFlurry machines by the manufacturer. This means that many technicians will be able to repair McDonald’s ice cream machines and is widely seen as a winner for the right to repair the community.

iFixit, which posts how-tos to the tech repair community, posted a breakdown of McFlurry’s devices last year, showing how to block these locks with a simple device that McDonald’s has asked franchise owners not to use. Now, franchise owners are free to use them.