The McFlurry Machine Company Just Got Hit With a McRestraining Order

"A lawsuit between the company that makes McFlurry machines and a company that manufactures a third-party diagnostic tool for them is part of a broader 'right to repair' battle," writes Slashdot reader ttyler. Gizmodo reports: If you've been to a McDonald's at any point in the last century, you're likely familiar with the harrowing experience of being denied the frosty treat that you crave because the McFlurry machine is broken yet again. As it turns out, being broken is sort of a hallmark of McFlurry machines: Not only are they inherently fragile -- needing to withstand both cold ice cream temperatures and the heating cycles that blast them during the cleaning process -- but they're also powered by janky software and "flawed code that caused the machines to malfunction," according to a lawsuit filed against the company that produces the machines in May. That company, Taylor, is a particularly egregious purveyor that serves as a perfect example of the exact business model right-to-repair advocates are trying to abolish: sell businesses a persnickety machine that's likely to break down, prevent them from understanding exactly where the malfunction is occurring, and then help yourself to a healthy cut of the distributors' profit from the resultant repairs. It's a racket that's so widely understood, it prompted the creation of a new company, Kytch, which manufactures a diagnostic tool specifically designed to help McDonald's franchise owners fix their own McFlurry machines. In a recent legal victory, a judge awarded a temporary restraining order against Taylor after Kytch had alleged in a complaint that the McFlurry machine manufacturer had gotten its hands on a Kytch Solution Devices with the express intention of learning its trade secrets. The complaint also alleged that Taylor had told McDonald's and its franchisees to stop using Kytch machines on the grounds that they were dangerous, and that the company had begun development on its own version of the Kytch system at the same time. As a result of the court order, Taylor now has 24 hours to turn over all its Kytch Solution Devices. "Defendants must not use, copy, disclose, or otherwise make available in any way information, including formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process obtained by any of them," the court document said.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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