Microsoft denied UK Court of Appeal permission to appeal software ruling

The UK Court of Appeal has denied Microsoft permission to appeal a previous ruling in a long-running legal dispute regarding the resale of software licenses. The court's decision, issued without further explanation, formally rejected the company's application to appeal the judgment from July 7, 2026.

Microsoft still has a 28-day window to file a direct application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court. To succeed, the company must demonstrate a compelling reason or a significant error in the Court of Appeal's decision. The next formal step in the proceedings involves a witness statement from Microsoft.

The core of the legal battle involves the legality of trading used software licenses. The plaintiff, ValueLicensing, sued Microsoft in 2021 seeking £270 million in damages, alleging that the company intentionally throttled the supply of surplus Office licenses.