UK-based pre-owned software license reseller ValueLicensing has filed a lawsuit in the London High Court against Microsoft for abusing its dominant position in the European markets to restrict resale of perpetual licenses for Windows and other company products, reported TechRadar.
UK Software Firm Launches Antitrust Suit Against Microsoft
UK-based pre-owned software license reseller ValueLicensing has filed a lawsuit in the London High Court against Microsoft for abusing its dominant position in the European markets to restrict resale of perpetual licenses for Windows and other company products, reported TechRadar.
In its claim, ValueLicensing calls into question certain contractual practices employed by Microsoft, which it contends have stifled the supply of pre-owned Microsoft licenses in the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA).
The license reseller argues Microsoft’s contractual practices go against the spirit of a 2012 European Court ruling that allowed the resale of perpetual licenses bought within the EEA as long as they are for an unlimited period.
The controversial clause, which ValueLicensing claims has been in force since at least 2016, forces organizations to agree not to resale their perpetual licenses in order to get a bulk discount.