1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 I 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaking of milk products I 3 00:00:09,740 --> 00:00:18,000 Fix it wants you to get your freaking ice cream when you go to McDonald's it's your Democratic right God given in the Constitution 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,720 What else is America all about if not getting ice cream when you? 5 00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:28,440 Freedom liberty for all ice cream when I go to McDonald's I 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:32,980 I fix it has traditionally cared about companies that make tech products 7 00:00:32,980 --> 00:00:36,620 Yes, and now all of a sudden they've decided that they care about ice cream 8 00:00:36,620 --> 00:00:43,160 It kind of rose me the wrong way to be honest the ice cream pick a lane. You should probably not put ice cream on your skin rally 9 00:00:43,160 --> 00:00:45,600 It's it's not good. You can't stop me 10 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:51,760 speaking of milk products But seriously it is a real problem that McDonald's 11 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,240 restaurants all over North America consistently have 12 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,160 broken or out-of-order ice cream machines. Yeah, and 13 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:09,680 This the reason for this has been You know explored thoroughly by many people who have done kind of expose a is little documentaries on it 14 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,440 However, I fix it is actually deciding someone's got to do something about this that is correct 15 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:18,960 And you know a bit more about this than I do Jacob because you prepared the notes for this episode 16 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:23,400 So what is the what's happening TLD dubs on what's wrong with the ice cream machines is? 17 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:30,800 So McDonald's has a partnership with this company called Taylor and they're the ones that make these ice cream machines 18 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:32,800 You could say they're Taylor made 19 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:41,320 Yes, that's exactly what I just said. So sorry continue They have a service contract with McDonald's, which basically means that they're the only ones that are allowed to touch 20 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,200 Those ice cream machines when something goes wrong and wouldn't you know it? 21 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:49,640 25% of the profit of this company Taylor is in 22 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:57,920 Service calls service technician call outs because they charge was it 300 and $15 per 15 minutes of a call out 23 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:03,040 25% of their of their profits. Yeah, according to I fix it Wow 24 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:10,160 So they are clearly incentivized to have these machines constantly in a state of disrepair so that they can go repair them for expensive 25 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:16,240 So in yeah in their exploration of this I fix actually bought the Taylor ice cream machine 26 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,600 They bought one. Oh, so they have the machine 27 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:27,520 They have the the manual all the stuff They did a tear down of it to look inside and see where where issues might be they even tested it to see what kind of issues 28 00:02:27,520 --> 00:02:34,960 They would have at the machine And one of the things that they talk about is how the error codes that the thing spits out are completely 29 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:40,640 Nonsensical the actual quote is the error codes generated by the machine quote are nonsensical 30 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:48,840 counter-intuitive and seemingly random even if you spent hours reading the manual and so please the codes are random 31 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:54,440 Seemingly random. Oh, okay. They couldn't put it together like they look through the manual like I don't understand anything 32 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:59,840 What's going on like to the point where they like kind of suddenly implied like do you think that the manual writer is? 33 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:06,080 Is bad at his job or do you think it's a systemic issue meant to allow Taylor to profit off of their own crappiness so that 34 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,680 Franchisees are trapped. I don't know it could be either of those. Oh my goodness 35 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:15,000 This is yeah, it's really just a dystopian situation as far as I can tell yeah 36 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:20,400 It's like you would expect there to be regulation mm out there that would prevent this type of you know abuse 37 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:26,920 But but here's the thing right the regulation is actually yeah, here's the thing. It gets worse. Okay, okay? 38 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:33,480 So this company comes out. They're called kitsch KYT CH. Okay, and they create this lovely little machine wait Taylor 39 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:36,360 Kitsch 40 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,880 Sorry rally I'm trying to do a serious news program 41 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:46,520 Where I talk about milk products and free wait, that's an actor right yes Taylor kitsch 42 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:52,800 I think he was in savages kitsch kitsch. Okay, kitsch the company 43 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,600 Throwing themselves in the in the mess which is not spelled like the actor now to be clear 44 00:03:58,120 --> 00:04:04,640 So they have a couple of hackers they put together this machine that plugs into the one USB interface on the Taylor machine 45 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:10,480 And it actually Translates the error codes into usable information so that franchisees 46 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:18,800 Would be able to tell What the hell is actually wrong with the machine and it would also crack the machine so that they were able to repair it themselves 47 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,760 Without having to wait for a Taylor 48 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,320 Repair person so this is basically like an OBD to port 49 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:33,440 Machine like a like a code reader so kitsch made this device kitsch made this device and the franchisees love it because it saves the 50 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:38,800 Money it saves them time it allows it stops them from having downtime on the ice cream machine because the ice cream machine 51 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:46,840 Fun fact it needs a four-hour cleaning cycle And if anything goes wrong during that cycle it would have to be restarted and that requires it an employee to do that 52 00:04:46,840 --> 00:04:50,020 So like anytime you've like gone to McDonald's at like 53 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:56,480 3 a.m. And you're like I want an ice cream. They're like sorry the machine's broken. That's why right? 54 00:04:56,480 --> 00:05:02,160 It's a it's a four-hour cleaning cycle and during that cleaning cycle. It would also like glitch out 55 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:07,720 Yeah, and then I have to restart it. Yep, and then that's on top of it like constantly breaking as well 56 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,080 So This device as you can imagine 57 00:05:12,240 --> 00:05:19,640 Incredibly helpful, and that's why McDonald's corporate wrote a letter to all their franchisees saying don't use a kitsch 58 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:23,800 You're not allowed to use a kitsch. Wait, what? Yeah, why? 59 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:32,840 But Riley but wait what does McDonald's get from having the machines broken they're partnered with Taylor 60 00:05:32,840 --> 00:05:38,400 I understand that Taylor would be incentivized to have the machines be broken so that they could go and like charge for charge 61 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:43,120 McDonald's I think it's because McDonald's has a service contract with Taylor 62 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:55,560 Mmm, and that cuts both ways Do we do we know anything about but maybe also contract like runs for and whether it's been renewed like they've been together for a long time 63 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:02,520 very long time I Definitely years. I don't know if it's been since ice cream was introduced 64 00:06:03,040 --> 00:06:06,520 McDonald's but a very long time. So I have a big question here. Okay 65 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,000 Taylor is clearly, you know, the bad guy in the sense that they are 66 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:21,640 Possibly Purposefully making these machines broken far more often than they have to be in order to reap the 67 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:31,360 Maintenance fee. That's true. And who's the victim? It's the customer who does you don't get to enjoy tasty tasty ice cream as as much as they want 68 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:37,040 It's also the franchisee Right. And so but well my question is where does McDonald's sit in all this? 69 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,840 So McDonald's signed a service contract that had that 70 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:47,760 Basically means that Taylor is the only one that's allowed to service their machines. Okay, and also the victim is is as you're saying the people who are 71 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:52,920 Like running a McDonald's restaurant who have franchised with McDonald's. So how does that work? 72 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,560 Why is why is McDonald's possibly getting a kickback from this as well? 73 00:06:56,560 --> 00:07:00,040 I don't know how it works on the inside of Taylor and how their service contract works 74 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:08,320 they probably receive some sort of payment for having for allowing Taylor to be the only one that services their machines like that just makes 75 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:17,480 Financial sense, but basically The reason that McDonald's might not care about an ice cream machine going down at certain restaurants is because they're franchises 76 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:23,480 They still get money from franchisees regardless. They get paid in two ways. Okay, so there's a 4% service fee 77 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:27,040 That's based on the restaurant's performance. So that might be affected slightly 78 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:30,920 But the big one is rent, which is normally in a flat percentage of sales 79 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:39,460 So you're kicking around like maybe like 8 to 12 percent of whatever you're doing at McDonald's straight to corporate 80 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:46,960 Well, I mean, that's what I'm saying though is that I feel like McDonald's the McDonald's restaurant whose ice cream 81 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:53,220 Machine is broken. They're not getting sales from people who are coming to buy ice cream at 3 in the morning 82 00:07:53,220 --> 00:07:57,380 Because they're feeling peckish and now the person is like, oh, you don't have ice cream 83 00:07:58,180 --> 00:08:05,460 Screw it. I'm leaving most of them might you know, if it was me. I might just be like, you know, give me a junior chicken 84 00:08:07,380 --> 00:08:16,340 But I think a lot of people Be like I want it's ice cream or bust. Yeah ice cream or no scream no one's screaming for anything at that point 85 00:08:16,340 --> 00:08:23,180 They're all crying So, uh, yeah, I just I'm confused about what McDonald's is getting out of like allowing this to happen or 86 00:08:23,500 --> 00:08:27,500 whether they are like trapped because they have this contract with Taylor and then 87 00:08:28,780 --> 00:08:34,480 That's the thing that's up in a loveless marriage personally I think a company that's as profitable as 88 00:08:35,100 --> 00:08:38,920 McDonald's and as big as McDonald's is they are the number two 89 00:08:39,820 --> 00:08:42,500 largest private employer in the world 90 00:08:43,220 --> 00:08:51,180 So like I imagine that they would have the power to get out of this where they did not get something out of this relationship 91 00:08:51,460 --> 00:08:57,500 Okay, let's get to the like the news development of the crux of the story is what has changed here 92 00:08:57,740 --> 00:09:01,220 Because this this is all a scenario that has been the case for a while 93 00:09:01,420 --> 00:09:08,820 What is I fix it doing the reason that companies are allowed to do things like this is because of the digital millennium copyright act 94 00:09:08,940 --> 00:09:16,300 Which allows companies to put digital locks on things and then not allow other people to not access them, but 95 00:09:17,420 --> 00:09:24,900 the loophole or rather the fix that they put in the DMCA in order to make it better is that every three years 96 00:09:25,820 --> 00:09:31,920 They will hear exemptions. They will they'll hear proposals or calls for exemptions to that bill 97 00:09:32,220 --> 00:09:36,660 Okay, and so that's what I fix it. They're proposing an exemption on 98 00:09:37,020 --> 00:09:42,980 a technical and industrial machinery which would include the ice cream machine and 99 00:09:44,180 --> 00:09:47,360 The issue with that is while that will fix it for 100 00:09:48,260 --> 00:09:51,860 Individual people not everybody is a hacker 101 00:09:51,980 --> 00:09:58,260 Not everybody has the skills to go in and make a kitsch device and then be able to fix their ice my ice cream machine 102 00:09:58,260 --> 00:10:05,040 Whenever they need to what would be more helpful is if I fix it or someone like them or able to make a device like a kitsch and 103 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:08,000 Let franchisees use it 104 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:12,480 And in order to do that they would need new legislation 105 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:19,520 They need to they need Congress to reintroduce the Freedom to Repair Act. We talked about a bit on TechLinked. Oh, yeah 106 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:28,720 We've talked about the Multiple right to repair things. Yes, obviously I fix it has been a champion of yes my question for I fix it here 107 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,800 I mean, so so they're trying to get the DMCA changed so that you know 108 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:40,640 Crap like this cannot be Cannot happen as much. My question is I mean what what's I fix it? 109 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:46,360 Is I fix it just to being like a you know ideological champion for the right to repair here? 110 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:53,400 Or they what's their business incentive? We got to think like a capitalist for us obviously there is a financial incentive for them 111 00:10:53,400 --> 00:10:59,000 Because the the thing that the Freedom to Repair Act will do is and this is a quote from my fix its own site 112 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,480 It would clarify that working around digital locks when fixing things isn't a copyright violation 113 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:07,360 And that making tools and software for those repairs would become legal 114 00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:12,060 So all products with embedded electronics or it would be included with the exemption of medical devices 115 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:17,440 So then all of a sudden companies like I fix it would be able to build solutions 116 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:24,320 That allow you to repair devices that were normally held back by digital locks and you could get them from I fix it 117 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:27,920 Yes, so they would be able to theoretically get a piece of the pie that Taylor's 118 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:38,800 Monopolizing they're selling pie now Stop, I'm sorry. So this is you know fundamentally a very similar issue to the whole John Deere situations where there are people 119 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:44,920 hard-working people who have you know professional equipment that they need to do their job 120 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:52,840 It is integral to their to serve the bills soft serve ice cream to people starving for it. Mm-hmm. There's 121 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:58,760 With tractors, I can kind of get behind it and it's like serious 122 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:02,600 But when I think about like the poor poor people who aren't getting their McDonald's ice cream 123 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,280 I just you know, I don't feel as empathetic. It's sad 124 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:13,480 What about the franchisees? Yes So it sucks for them because I have to keep like bringing these people in to repair things for sure 125 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:19,400 So it's very similar to the John Deere thing in that there are hard-working people with these professional equipment and they want to repair it 126 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:26,760 And they want to do their work But these this it's insane company has decided that only they can repair it 127 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:32,640 So the way to fix this is to try and do the same thing that all of these, you know, right to repair bills 128 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:37,040 addressing the John Deere issue specifically have tried to do which is to 129 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:45,480 You know basically change the law so that it's legal to bypass the security measures that have been put into these systems 130 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:51,080 Only for the purpose of preventing people from repairing. Yeah, like that's what's truly heinous about it 131 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:59,320 Obviously, like, you know, we've talked about this a lot But just the idea that you would create a product and then specifically put something in that doesn't need to be there other than to 132 00:12:59,320 --> 00:13:04,640 Prevent the person from the like the owner from from from trying to fix it. It's just it's just crazy 133 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:11,440 So like and not for like safety reasons for profit. Yes, and what's funny is that it's a it's a 134 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:17,840 This is a part of the copyright office like the digital Millennium Copyright Act 135 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,800 Overseas this kind of stuff. Yeah, it's like, can you have a copyright? 136 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:27,760 On a digital lock on someone modifying a machine that they have bought 137 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:34,560 How I just don't understand how that's like because copyright actually refers to you having if you have copyright on something 138 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:39,240 Yeah, you have the exclusive right to copy it. That's what that's where copyright comes from. You're kidding 139 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,560 But like I thought I had something to do with milk based products 140 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:53,280 It always does I wish But when you but when you sell somebody a machine and then they're trying to open it up and fix it because it's broken 141 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:59,720 What are you copying? It's like you're copying the the repair technicians who come to try and fix it 142 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:08,160 That's my thing. It's just stupid. Yeah, like what if like making a mod for a game was was illegal because it was against copyright 143 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:13,160 Like there are some obviously cheat like cheat mods. Although. I don't think those are necessarily illegal 144 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,600 I think they just break the terms of agreement for you know playing online 145 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:21,200 But like you create maybe like a character mod or something in Skyrim 146 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:26,720 So that you can more easily pick up a hundred wheels of cheese and Bethesda's lawyers reach out to you and say you can't do that 147 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:33,400 That's illegal. Here's the copyright. It's immoral really pick up that many wheels of cheese. That's the whole point of the game 148 00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:41,680 They just want you to enjoy cheese and moderation you milk products are they they they tease you with the dragons 149 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:47,920 But they suck you in with the cheese wheels milk products can bring great joy, but also great pain 150 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:56,440 As soon as you get a lack taste this is the greatest tackling we've ever made so at the end of the day 151 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:02,220 What are we? What are the next steps here? What what's what are we expecting? 152 00:15:02,780 --> 00:15:11,180 Well, I Fixed it's teamed up with nonprofit public knowledge to file the exemption to the law for the ice cream machines 153 00:15:11,940 --> 00:15:16,820 Okay, and this is something I fix it has already done and one for Xbox's tractors and smartphones 154 00:15:17,620 --> 00:15:22,340 So hopefully that does something but if you we really wanted, you know things to change 155 00:15:22,340 --> 00:15:29,460 I think that's a matter of contacting local congressman telling them that the freedom to repair act is something you care about 156 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:33,740 And you do want them to reintroduce it that you back. I fix it you back public knowledge 157 00:15:33,740 --> 00:15:38,580 This is something you want them to do and it's ridiculous that they haven't it's wild out there 158 00:15:38,940 --> 00:15:43,420 It's a jungle out there people need poison in the barrier that we breathe. Okay 159 00:15:43,940 --> 00:15:50,020 Godspeed I fix it who is one of the few companies out there. It seems like trying to 160 00:15:50,380 --> 00:15:55,580 Turn our reality into slightly less of a corporate dystopia instead of the other way around 161 00:15:56,580 --> 00:16:05,140 Kudos to you. I fix it. We both love you I love you, too. I spoke for you. I'm sorry. I was oh you weren't talking to me. No, okay cut that and 162 00:16:05,940 --> 00:16:11,580 We love you Viewer of this video. Thanks for watching this talk linked 163 00:16:12,420 --> 00:16:19,620 come back on Wednesday, it's Monday today by the time you're watching this come back soon. We miss you 164 00:16:19,620 --> 00:16:21,620 I just want to clarify that I still like you. I just