usedsoft

The tag usedsoft covers the ongoing legal dispute between Microsoft and UK reseller ValueLicensing at the Competition Appeal Tribunal. This case centers on whether the resale of pre-owned software licenses, particularly for perpetual desktop products like Microsoft Office and Windows, is lawful under copyright exhaustion rules. Microsoft argues that non-program elements such as graphical user interfaces fall outside the Software Directive's exhaustion regime, potentially restricting the secondary market. The outcome could reshape the pre-owned software market across Europe and the UK, with ValueLicensing seeking approximately £270 million in damages. The tag includes discussions of antitrust, licensing, and copyright pivots in this high-stakes litigation.