In a David and Goliath-style confrontation, a software reseller has thrown down the gauntlet at Microsoft’s feet, challenging the tech behemoth in a titanic £270 million ($343 million) antitrust lawsuit. The accusation? Microsoft, the Goliath of the tech world, stands accused of employing its colossal might to squash the thriving market for reselling its software licenses.
Microsoft Faces Early Bid Antitrust Fight : Microsoft Enters the Arena
In a David and Goliath-style confrontation, a software reseller has thrown down the gauntlet at Microsoft’s feet, challenging the tech behemoth in a titanic £270 million ($343 million) antitrust lawsuit. The accusation? Microsoft, the Goliath of the tech world, stands accused of employing its colossal might to squash the thriving market for reselling its software licenses.
ValueLicensing, the reseller leading the charge, has made a bold move this Friday. They’ve petitioned the U.K. Competition Appeal Tribunal to nullify a key segment of Microsoft’s defense arsenal – the claim that any alleged anti-competitive actions were “objectively justified.” Like a chess master strategizing their next move, Microsoft counters, steadfast in its denial of any wrongdoing and clinging to its defense that its actions, even if perceived as anti-competitive, were necessary and proportionate steps towards a new era of software subscription models.
The Battle Lines are Drawn: Microsoft’s Justification Under Fire
The drama escalates as ValueLicensing prepares to confront Microsoft’s denial head-on at trial. Their current stratagem? To strip Microsoft of its fallback defenses before the trial even commences. Microsoft’s stance that its actions were “necessary and reasonable” is poised precariously on the edge, as ValueLicensing challenges the tech giant’s ability to substantiate these claims.