Third Parties Can Now Repair McDonalds' McFlurry Machines
Mykl writes:
As reported previously on SN, McFlurry machines have been at the centre of arguments about Copyright vs the Right to Repair. Now it seems that the US Copyright Office have delivered a victory to McDonalds Franchisees and third parties by allowing them to bypass the Technological Protection Measures (TPM) to repair the devices.
The final rule adopted by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden was based on recommendations made by Shira Perlmutter, the register of copyrights and director of the US Copyright Office. The ruling came in the ninth triennial proceeding to determine exemptions under Section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The process provides exemptions for the next three years to "the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that effectively control access to copyrighted works."
"The Register recommends adopting a new exemption covering diagnosis, maintenance, and repair of retail-level commercial food preparation equipment because proponents sufficiently showed, by a preponderance of the evidence, adverse effects on the proposed noninfringing uses of such equipment," the Register's findings said.
Opposition to the change came from McDonalds corporate and the machine manufacturers, Taylor Company, as well as the Entertainment Software Association, Motion Picture Association, and Recording Industry Association of America
For those who enjoy a punny good time:
The change should "spark a flurry of third-party repair activity and enable businesses to better serve their customers," Rose said. "While we are disappointed that the Register recommended a narrower exemption than we had proposed, this does not soften our enthusiasm. We will continue to chip away at half-baked laws blocking the right to repair, sprinkling consumer victories as we go. Today's win may not be parfait, but it's still pretty sweet."
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