ValueLicensing claims US firm is killing the competition in Microsoft antitrust suit.

Derby-based reseller ValueLicensing has filed a £270 million antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft in the UK High Court, accusing the US firm of trying to kill competition in the secondhand software market.

Founded in 2009, ValueLicensing is a software licence reseller that specialises in procuring pre-owned Microsoft software licences from businesses and selling them across the UK and Europe. The firm buys licences from businesses that no longer require them, either due to upgrading their IT to cloud or after becoming insolvent. Its client base is made up primarily of public sector bodies, including local councils and NHS trusts.