Microsoft has failed to win permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court in its legal dispute with ValueLicensing, after the Court of Appeal refused its application last week. The refusal was given without reasons, in the words: “It is ordered that the application is refused.”
Microsoft was challenging a November 2025 ruling in ValueLicensing’s favour that the firm may resell pre-owned software licenses. It could still apply to the Supreme Court itself, but it would need to file within 28 days and show a compelling reason why the Court of Appeal was wrong to refuse.
The case began in 2021, when ValueLicensing sued Microsoft for 270 million pounds over claims that it choked off the supply of surplus Office licenses. Microsoft denied wrongdoing and tried to reframe the case as a copyright dispute, arguments the Competition Appeal Tribunal rejected. A recently published consent order now demands documents from past and present Microsoft executives, including an internal deck titled “Second-Hand Software Presentation” that the order refers to as a “Known Adverse Document,” dating to 2013.
Alexander Wolfson, the proposed class representative in a separate claim on behalf of millions of UK customers seeking between 1.3 billion and 3.5 billion pounds in compensation from Microsoft over its conduct regarding pre-owned licenses, is listed as an intervener on the appeal refusal. The next stage is a witness statement from Microsoft explaining who knew what and when, followed by further disclosure.