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Jon Horley, founder and MD of ValueLicensing, said: "This High Court claim covers the damage to our business through Microsoft's abuse of its dominant market position, effectively destroying the pre-owned software market for desktop products. We are not the only victim to have suffered loss as a result of Microsoft's anticompetitive activity since 2016."

"Microsoft Corp and Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited have applied to the Court for a declaration that the Courts of England and Wales do not have jurisdiction to hear ValueLicensing's Claim; and/ or for a stay of ValueLicensing's claim against them because the Courts of England and Wales are not the most appropriate Courts to hear it.

ValueLicensing's managing director, Jon Horley, asserted to The Register: "Once a licence is placed onto the market in Europe, it is protected from the vendor effectively, they've exhausted their rights once it is placed onto the market."

Years of court battles have clarified what sellers are allowed to do with second-hand software and licences. One would think. But Microsoft never gets tired of making life difficult for the market, with multiple small attacks. Read the following article published by ChannelPartner in Germany which has been translated to English.

Now that Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Limited and Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited have acknowledged service of ValueLicensing's claim, Microsoft Corporation and Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited could still apply to the Commercial Court to attempt to persuade it to revoke the permission it granted to ValueLicensing to serve the claim on them out of the jurisdiction.