Who knew it would take a court ruling to tackle one of life’s most maddening mysteries: why the heck McDonald’s ice cream machines are always broken? Seriously, if you’ve ever rolled up to a drive-thru craving that creamy swirl of goodness only to be met with a “machine down” sign, you know the struggle is real.

I mean, former President Trump even took to X and promised he’d fix the machines if he got back into office. But it seems like someone else found a solution without him. Looks like he might have to take a backseat on this one.

Now, as we talked about yesterday, McDonald’s has been in the news lately for everything from Trump’s fast-food diplomacy to E. coli-laden onions that sent their stock into a tailspin that eventually stopped at a 5% loss. 

So, it’s about time they got some good news, right? Enter the U.S. Copyright Office with a new ruling that lets franchisees finally fix those cursed machines without needing to unlock some digital treasure chest like it’s an escape room challenge.

If you’re wondering what copyright law has to do with McDonald’s ice cream machines, it’s because the law prevents anyone other than the manufacturer, Taylor, from bypassing its software locks. 

But starting this week, McDonald's locations can bypass the digital locks on their McFlurry machines. That means they can finally get these things up and running again without calling in Albert Einstein or offering sacrifices to the fast-food gods. This monumental change comes thanks to advocacy group Public Knowledge and repair geniuses at iFixit, who discovered that inside these machines are “lots of easily replaceable parts.” Who knew a $5 treat could be such a high-maintenance?

Meredith Rose from Public Knowledge said, “There’s nothing vanilla about this victory.” And she’s right. This could spark a flurry (pun intended) of repair action in the fast-food industry. Imagine the day you roll up to your local McDonald's and confidently order a McFlurry without the fear of being hit with the dreaded “sorry, it’s broken” line. 

Let’s get real for a second: right now, nearly 15% of McDonald’s ice cream machines are out of order (it’s 32% in New York). There’s a reason some have labeled the problem a McEmergency. In fact, there’s even a website called McBroken.com where customers can record the condition of their local machine. It’s like a game of “Where’s Waldo” for McDonald’s customers every time a machine shuts down. 

This whole situation stemmed from the DMC (the copyright law that normally prevents anyone from fixing anything without the manufacturer’s say-so). Apparently, the law had been standing in the way of our sweet treats for too long. But now, thanks to this exemption, McDonald's can finally repair those machines without jumping through bureaucratic hoops. 

Ronald McDonald’s financials are somehow still golden, even after a few public oopsies (yes, including that E. coli outbreak). They pulled off $3.23 per share in earnings, beating the forecasted $3.20 (because, hey, pennies matter) and raked in $6.87 billion in revenue. U.S. same-store sales even managed to rise 0.3%, though Wall Street wanted 0.5% (guess the dollar menu isn’t impressing everyone).

Internationally? Not so hot. Same-store sales are down 2.1% in the usual suspects—France, Germany, Australia—and a bigger 3.5% dip in places like China. (Turns out, even in a Big Mac world, the McFlurry isn’t a universal language.)

So, even with these small wins, McDonald's year-to-date growth sits at just 0.56%. But maybe, just maybe, keeping those machines working will help them scoop up some customer goodwill (finally).

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Stock.News has positions in McDonalds mentioned in article.