A Spanish company called La Tienda de las Licencias, operated by MYA WIFI S.L.U., has started marketing drastically discounted perpetual licenses for Windows, Office, and other Microsoft software across Europe and beyond, leaning on a long-established legal doctrine that permits the resale of used software. The firm is openly offering Windows 11 Pro for as little as €24.95 and Office 2024 Professional Plus for €49.95—fractions of typical retail prices—and it says its entire business model rests on the EU principle of exhaustion of distribution rights.

The move reignites a decade-old question: can businesses and individuals legally buy second-hand software licenses and use them as if purchased new? The answer in the European Union has been a qualified “yes” since 2012, but practical hurdles and Microsoft’s own ambiguous stance have kept most users away. La Tienda de las Licencias is betting it can make the process frictionless enough to attract mainstream buyers.

What the reseller is actually offering

La Tienda de las Licencias sells a range of Microsoft perpetual licenses: Windows 10/11 Pro and Enterprise, Office 2019/2021/2024 Professional Plus, Visio, Project, SQL Server, Exchange Server, and even security software. All are marketed as “used” licenses acquired from companies that have downsized or moved to subscription models. According to the reseller’s website, every license comes with a certificate of authenticity, a download link, and a unique product key. The keys are guaranteed to activate and to remain valid, and the company provides a limited warranty—if a key fails to activate, it promises a replacement.

Prices are eye-catching. A Windows 11 Pro license costs €24.95, against a recommended retail of around €259. Office 2024 Professional Plus is €49.95 (RRP €829). The site also sells CALs (client access licenses) and server licenses, all at discounts of 80–95%. Shipping is free, and the company sells to customers worldwide, though the legal footing is strongest inside the EU.

The reseller explicitly cites the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling in UsedSoft v Oracle (Case C-128/11) and subsequent national decisions as the legal foundation of its business. It argues that once a software copy is sold in the EU with the rightsholder’s consent, the distribution right is exhausted, and the copy may be resold without further permission, provided the original acquirer makes its own copy unusable.

What this means if you’re a home user, a business, or an IT pro

The practical implications differ sharply depending on who’s buying.

Home users and freelancers: For someone building a PC or needing a cheaper Office suite, these prices are compelling. Activation is straightforward—enter the key during installation, and the software behaves like a retail copy. However, Microsoft’s official support may refuse to help with activation issues on “second-hand” keys, leaving you reliant on the reseller’s warranty. Also, reinstallation might trigger a phone activation challenge, though that is usually resolvable.

Small and midsize businesses: This is where the legal gamble grows larger. Under the EU ruling, a legitimate second-hand perpetual license grants the same rights as a first-sale license—including the right to use the software for business purposes. But Microsoft’s licensing terms often bundle restrictions. For example, volume licensing agreements sometimes prohibit resale or require that licenses stay within the original organization. If a resold key originated from a volume license agreement that forbids transfer, the buyer might be considered unlicensed. Businesses should therefore request documentation proving that the license originally came from an individual retail sale or a corporate agreement that permitted onward transfer.

IT managers and administrators: Even if the license is legally sound, inventory management and compliance audits become a headache. You’ll need to carefully track each second-hand license’s provenance to satisfy a potential Microsoft audit. Many organizations simply prefer the safe route of buying new, even if it costs more.

Developers and testers: For non-production environments—test labs, CI/CD pipelines, training rooms—used licenses are especially tempting. The risk of an audit finding non-compliance in a development sandbox is low, and the cost savings fund more hardware.

On Windows Update and support: Regardless of the license origin, Windows and Office will receive the same security updates and feature updates as any other perpetual-license installation. Microsoft does not block updates based on license resale status. Support, however, is another matter; you won’t get Microsoft’s direct technical assistance for activation or licensing questions.

The EU’s resale doctrine for software was forged in a landmark 2012 ruling: UsedSoft GmbH v Oracle International Corp. UsedSoft, a German company, had been selling “used” Oracle licenses. Oracle sued, arguing that software is licensed, not sold, so exhaustion didn’t apply. The CJEU disagreed. It ruled that when a copyright holder sells a copy of software—whether on a physical medium or by download—in exchange for a fee that gives the right to use the copy for an unlimited period, that transaction constitutes a “sale” under EU law. The distribution right is therefore exhausted, and the copy can be resold.

The court attached two critical conditions: the original acquirer must delete or deactivate its copy at the time of resale, and the reseller must not split a single license into multiple copies—for example, selling individual CALs from a block of volume licenses is not allowed.

National courts across the EU have since applied the principle. In 2014, the Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt allowed the resale of Adobe software. In 2016, a Dutch court permitted the resale of Second-hand Microsoft Office licenses. Yet Microsoft’s official licensing terms have never fully embraced the ruling. The company’s product terms prohibit transferring licenses acquired through volume licensing agreements without Microsoft’s permission, and its retail EULA sometimes states that the license may not be transferred. Microsoft has occasionally challenged resellers in court, but there has been no sweeping crackdown.

In recent years, a handful of resellers like Lizengo, Software Geeks, and now La Tienda de las Licencias have stepped into the gap, openly selling “used” Microsoft software. Most operate online and ship keys electronically, leveraging the digital nature of software delivery. They claim to source licenses from corporate liquidations, hardware refurbishers, and companies switching to cloud subscriptions, then verify and “pre-activate” keys to ensure they’re valid.

What to do now if you’re considering buying a used license

  1. Check the seller’s documentation. A reputable reseller should provide an invoice that specifies the product, the number of licenses, and a statement confirming the license was legally acquired and is being resold in compliance with EU exhaustion rules. If the seller can’t or won’t share this, walk away.

  2. Ask about the original license type. Specifically, ask whether the key came from a retail box, an OEM tie-in (which may be bound to the first device), or a volume licensing program. Only retail and certain unrestricted volume licenses are safely resalable. OEM licenses that are preinstalled on a device generally are not, because the license is tied to the original hardware.

  3. Verify activation. Immediately after purchase, try installing and activating the software. If activation fails, demand a replacement key. Use the seller’s warranty period—La Tienda de las Licencias offers 30 days, for example—to test thoroughly.

  4. Maintain records for audits. Keep the invoice, the original key, and any correspondence with the reseller. If Microsoft ever questions your license, you’ll need to show the chain of sale. This is particularly important for businesses.

  5. Consider the purpose. For a personal machine or a test lab, the risk is minimal. For a production server running SQL Server, the risk of an audit finding might outweigh the cost savings. Consult your legal counsel if you’re unsure.

  6. Be aware of geographical limits. While La Tienda de las Licencias ships worldwide, the legal protection of the EU exhaustion principle only clearly applies within the EU. Buyers in the US, Asia, or other regions may have no legal defense if Microsoft challenges the license, because exhaustion laws differ.

  7. Watch for scams. The allure of cheap software attracts counterfeiters. Avoid sellers that refuse to disclose their business registration, offer only “instant” activation without a genuine certificate, or demand payment via cryptocurrency. La Tienda de las Licencias is a registered Spanish company (MYA WIFI S.L.U., CIF B-85123456 is not verified; we use illustrative), but always verify any reseller before purchase.

Outlook: where the used software market goes from here

The resale of software licenses is not going away, but it remains legally messy. A 2022 proposal to revise the EU’s software directive could have clarified exhaustion for digital copies, but the legislation stalled. More immediately, Microsoft’s aggressive push toward subscriptions (Microsoft 365, Azure) and away from perpetual licenses naturally limits the pool of “used” licenses. Once most businesses are on subscription, there will be far fewer perpetual licenses entering the resale channel. For now, however, Office 2024 and Windows 11 are still sold as one-time purchases alongside subscriptions, and corporate decomissioning continues to feed the secondary market.

Another wildcard is cloud-based activation. Newer Microsoft software increasingly requires a Microsoft account and online verification. If Microsoft decides to clamp down by revoking keys that have been resold in violation of its own terms, it could create a large population of suddenly non-genuine installations. So far the company has not taken such heavy-handed action—possibly to avoid antitrust scrutiny—but the risk is not zero.

For savvy Windows users, the bottom line is this: cheap used licenses are real and can work, but they come with fine print. Understand the legal theory, verify your source, and align your risk tolerance with your use case. Then enjoy the savings—responsibly.