UK tribunal says reselling Microsoft licenses is A-OK

Microsoft’s attempt to claim that its software can’t be resold has hit a wall at the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, which decided that Office having clipart does not mean customers can’t sell their licenses on.

The judgment follows UK reseller ValueLicensing lodging a 2021 claim against the Windows giant over clauses in contracts allegedly aimed at stopping customers from reselling perpetual licenses. The Derby-based reseller sued Microsoft for £270 million in damages over claims of lost business.

The dispute rumbled back and forth until Microsoft made a surprising pivot. Instead of denying wrongdoing, Microsoft argued that reselling perpetual licenses infringed its copyright. It also claimed that the practice of companies selling only a portion of their licenses was not permitted.

The Competition Appeal Tribunal pondered the software giant’s claims and disagreed. According to the judgment, there was…