ValueLicensing's David spins the sling for another go at the Windows Goliath

Microsoft's tussle with UK-based reseller ValueLicensing over the sale of secondhand licenses returns to the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal this week, with the Windows behemoth now claiming that selling pre-owned Office and Windows software is unlawful.

ValueLicensing's representatives say this week's trial - due to start tomorrow - will "address whether the entire pre-owned license market was lawful – with Microsoft arguing that it was not lawful to resell pre-owned Office and Windows software at all."

This stems from a May 2025 agreement that the scope of copyright issues now central to Microsoft's defense needs to be determined.

The case has the potential to blow a hole in the European reselling market. According to ValueLicensing, "if Microsoft's argument is correct, it would mean that the entire resale market in Europe should not exist."

The ValueLicensing case has rumbled on for years, beginning with allegations that Microsoft stifled ...