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ValueLicensing has issued an application for summary judgment against Microsoft in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) in its ongoing claims for abuse of dominance and anti-competitive agreements.

An English court has confirmed Microsoft’s contractual right to audit software reseller ValueLicensing but imposed undertakings on the tech giant preventing it from using the information to defend against a €270 million standalone damages claim.

Law360, London (December 5, 2023, 5:37 PM GMT) -- A software reseller can't block Microsoft from auditing its records, a London court ruled on Tuesday, rejecting the case that the tech giant would misuse the information to counter its looming £270 million ($341 million) antitrust claim.

The parties are to conduct disclosure searches in accordance with the agreed or ordered searches.

ValueLicensing must allow Microsoft to audit the carrying out of a settlement arising from a software copyright infringement dispute, even as the software reseller is engaged in a dominance-abuse lawsuit against the US tech giant over anticompetitive licensing deals, a UK High Court judge ruled today. He said the case is a contractual matter on its own terms, even as the parties are involved in proceedings over damages litigation.