A UK judge has ordered Microsoft to search internal communications and disclose documents in ValueLicensing’s case alleging that Microsoft used incentives to move customers from perpetual software licences to subscriptions, while discouraging the resale of used licences. The order follows the discovery of a 2013 “Second-Hand Software Presentation”, classified as a potentially adverse document, and brings the long-running dispute closer to a liability trial.

Microsoft must explain by 31 October 2026 why the presentation was not disclosed earlier, after producing it in December 2025 despite the case being filed in 2021. It must also search executives’ Microsoft 365 mailboxes and SharePoint accounts for relevant terms covering July 2012 to June 2020, including those of Richard Chin and former chief operating officer Kevin Turner, and disclose any findings by 30 November. Confidentiality claims must be justified document by document, with Microsoft providing progress updates every 21 days.