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McDonalds McFlurry (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The days of broken ice cream machines at McDonald’s may soon be over thanks to a new exemption to an old law.

The U.S. Copyright Office has granted a partial exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, allowing third-party technicians to repair the famous McDonald’s ice cream and McFlurry machines. Before the exemption was granted last week, it was technically a crime for anyone other than the machines’ manufacturer, Taylor Company, to repair the copyrighted devices, leading to long wait times for what were described as “easy solutions”.

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Ice machines break down so often that a frustrated customer created a website around the phenomenon. Mcbroken.com offers an interactive map showing locations in the United States where McDonald’s ice cream machines are broken or working. It also shows you where to find Wendy’s restaurants – Wendy’s regularly trolls McDonald’s ice cream machines on social networks.

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According to The United States today, the Taylor company has been the sole repairer of McDonald’s ice cream machines since 1956. Inc. Magazine states that about 25% of the company’s revenue comes from maintenance and repair services.

The non-profit association Public knowledge And iFixita community of people who need to repair things, requested the exemption from the U.S. Copyright Office after an investigation showed the machines contained “many easily replaceable parts.”

“There is nothing conceited about this victory; an exemption for commercial retail food preparation equipment will spark a wave of third-party repair activity and allow businesses to better serve their customers,” Meredith said Rose, senior policy advisor at Public Knowledge. a prepared statement.