Microsoft Lawsuit: Every Current Case, and Whether Any of It Pays You
Questions about this case?
AI Legal Assistant · free · answers in seconds · general information, not legal advice
As of September 30, 2026, no Microsoft lawsuit on this page has a settlement, a fund or a claim form. The Microsoft class action closest to ordinary buyers was filed July 17, 2026 in federal court in Washington state. It claims Xbox buyers should share in the tariff refunds console makers are collecting after the Supreme Court struck those tariffs down. Microsoft wants it dismissed or sent to arbitration. Gamers separately accuse Microsoft of coordinating PC game prices with Valve. In September 2026 the copyright fight brought by The New York Times, other newspapers and authors against Microsoft and OpenAI reached the summary-judgment stage; the motions are pending. And in Australia, the competition regulator is suing over the Microsoft 365 price rise that came with Copilot.
Editorially Reviewed — Content reviewed for accuracy using published legal research, government data, and verified court records. See our methodology
Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What Each Microsoft Lawsuit Is About
Xbox tariff refunds (filed July 2026). Console makers raised prices during the 2025 tariffs. On February 20, 2026 the Supreme Court held that the emergency-powers law behind those tariffs (IEEPA) does not authorize them, and the companies are now getting refunds from the government, according to reports. The suit filed against Microsoft on July 17, 2026 alleges that Xbox price increases were linked to the tariffs and that buyers should receive the refunds. Microsoft's response, as quoted by Kotaku: “There is nothing unjust about Plaintiff purchasing an Xbox at an advertised price and getting exactly what he paid for.” Microsoft has not said how much it expects to be refunded. PlayStation and Nintendo buyers are making the same argument — see our Sony lawsuit and Nintendo lawsuit pages.
PC game prices (Microsoft and Valve). In Rockman v. Microsoft, gamers accuse Microsoft of accepting payments from Valve in connection with an alleged agreement to match prices for games sold through the two companies' competing digital storefronts, which they call horizontal price fixing. Microsoft says it is a vertical distribution agreement between Microsoft as a game publisher and Valve as a distributor. This is a different case from the older antitrust litigation against Valve on our Steam lawsuit page.
Microsoft 365 and Copilot prices (Australia). On October 27, 2025, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sued Microsoft Australia and Microsoft Corporation. It alleges that from October 31, 2024 Microsoft told about 2.7 million Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers they had to accept Copilot at a higher price or cancel — without mentioning cheaper “Classic” plans without Copilot, which subscribers could reach only by starting to cancel. Per the ACCC, the annual Personal plan went from A$109 to A$159 and the Family plan from A$139 to A$179.
Copyright. The New York Times, other newspapers including the Daily News, and book authors claim Microsoft and OpenAI infringed their copyrights by training AI models on their work. On September 4, 2026 Microsoft moved for summary judgment, arguing that such training is fair use; it cites an expert review of 8.2 million Copilot conversations that found 24 responses with at least 30 words matching the authors' books. Newly unredacted filings reported on September 17, 2026 quote a Microsoft employee calling AI scraping “the largest theft of labor in human history,” according to the New York Daily News. These cases are about authors' and publishers' work, not about Copilot users.
Shareholders. A securities class action, as described in law-firm notices, claims Microsoft misled investors about its Copilot products — alleging brand positioning, usage, computing-capacity and interoperability problems — on behalf of people who bought Microsoft securities between May 1, 2025 and January 28, 2026.
Regulators and other cases. The Federal Trade Commission's investigation of Microsoft has been broadened to cloud, AI and software bundling, CIO reported on June 1, 2026 — an investigation, not a lawsuit. The FTC's challenge to Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard ended in defeat when a federal appeals court rejected its appeal in May 2025. In Musk v. OpenAI, Elon Musk's claim against Microsoft was dismissed together with his claims against OpenAI on May 18, 2026. Families have also filed personal-injury suits against Microsoft and Mojang alleging that Minecraft was designed to addict children.
Case Details
Xbox tariff refunds: Hastings v. Microsoft Corporation, No. 2:26-cv-02537 (W.D. Wash.), filed July 17, 2026.
PC game prices: Rockman v. Microsoft, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, filed May 31, 2026.
Microsoft 365 (Australia): ACCC proceedings against Microsoft Australia and Microsoft Corporation in the Federal Court of Australia, commenced October 27, 2025 (ACCC announcement).
Copyright: In re OpenAI, Inc. Copyright Infringement Litigation, MDL No. 3143, No. 1:25-md-03143 (S.D.N.Y.), before Judge Sidney H. Stein. The newspaper and book-author cases against Microsoft and OpenAI are handled there.
Shareholders: the law-firm notices we read give the class period and the lead-plaintiff deadline, but not the court.
Musk v. OpenAI: federal court in Oakland, before Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.
Microsoft's own disclosure: legal contingencies note in its annual report for the year ended June 30, 2026, filed July 29, 2026.
Status on September 30, 2026, Case by Case
PC game prices: Microsoft moved to dismiss in August 2026, arguing its arrangement with Valve is a vertical distribution deal, not price fixing among competitors. No ruling found.
Australia: the ACCC is seeking penalties, injunctions, declarations, consumer redress and costs. We found no judgment or settlement as of September 30, 2026.
Copyright MDL: dueling summary-judgment motions were filed on September 4, 2026 and are pending before Judge Stein.
Shareholders: the deadline to ask to be lead plaintiff was August 11, 2026. No settlement.
Microsoft's own figure: in its annual report, Microsoft said that as of June 30, 2026 it had accrued $553 million in aggregate legal liabilities, and that adverse outcomes of about $400 million beyond that are reasonably possible. That covers all claims against the company; it is not a fund anyone can claim from.
Follow this case
There's no claim deadline yet. We'll email you if a settlement opens a claim period.
Can You Get Money From a Microsoft Lawsuit?
Not today, from any case on this page. What applies depends on who you are.
You bought an Xbox in the U.S. after the 2025 price increases: the tariff suit is a proposed class action, and we have not seen how the complaint defines the class; nothing has been certified or settled, and Microsoft argues the buyer who sued must arbitrate. Keep your receipt or order confirmation — it shows the date and the price you paid.
You buy PC games: the Microsoft–Valve pricing suit is at the motion-to-dismiss stage. There is nothing to sign up for.
You pay for Microsoft 365 Personal or Family: the ACCC case covers Australian subscribers, and the ACCC is asking the court for consumer redress. Separately, in November 2025 Microsoft emailed Australian Personal and Family subscribers offering a refund of the price difference to those who switched to a Classic plan by December 31, 2025; that offer has closed. We have not confirmed any U.S. consumer class action over the Copilot price increase.
You own Microsoft stock: if you bought between May 1, 2025 and January 28, 2026, you may fall within the proposed securities class. You do not need to be lead plaintiff to share in any recovery, and there is no settlement.
You are an author or publisher: the copyright MDL in New York is where those claims sit.
Your child plays Minecraft: addiction claims are individual personal-injury lawsuits brought through a lawyer, not a class with a sign-up form; see our Minecraft lawsuit page.
Is There a Microsoft Settlement?
If you are looking for money you can claim now, our list of open class action settlements shows cases with real deadlines.
Microsoft Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
October 27, 2025 — Australia Sues Over the Copilot Price Rise
The ACCC takes Microsoft to the Federal Court of Australia, alleging about 2.7 million Microsoft 365 subscribers were never told about cheaper Classic plans without Copilot.
- 2
May 18, 2026 — Musk's Claim Against Microsoft Dismissed
In Musk v. OpenAI, an Oakland jury finds Musk sued too late, and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismisses his claims, including the one against Microsoft.
- 3
May 31, 2026 — Gamers Sue Over PC Game Prices
Rockman v. Microsoft is filed in the Western District of Washington, accusing Microsoft of a price-matching arrangement with Valve.
- 4
July 17, 2026 — Xbox Tariff Refund Suit Filed
Hastings v. Microsoft Corporation (2:26-cv-02537) claims Xbox buyers, not Microsoft, should get the benefit of tariff refunds.
- 5
August 2026 — Microsoft Pushes Back
Microsoft moves to dismiss the Valve pricing case and argues the tariff claims belong in arbitration. The deadline to seek lead-plaintiff status in the shareholder suit passes on August 11.
- 6
September 2026 — Copyright Case Reaches the Summary-Judgment Stage
On September 4, Microsoft, OpenAI, the newspapers and the authors file dueling summary-judgment motions in New York; unredacted filings follow on September 17. No Microsoft case has a settlement.
Three Microsoft-Specific Traps
A famous brand, several fresh headlines and no claim form is exactly the gap scammers fill:
“Claim your Xbox tariff refund”
No court has ordered Microsoft to pay Xbox buyers any tariff refund, and there is no fund or administrator. A message asking for your Microsoft account password, your card number or a processing fee to release a “tariff refund” is not part of the case.
Fake Microsoft 365 “refund” or “Classic plan” emails
The Copilot price rise and the Australian case give scammers a believable story. Check your plan by signing in at account.microsoft.com yourself — never through a link or phone number in an unexpected email — and never let a caller install remote-access software to “process your refund.”
“Deadline to join the Microsoft class action”
The August 11, 2026 date in shareholder ads was the deadline to ask to be lead plaintiff, not a deadline to stay in the class. Class members do not have to sign up, no settlement exists, and many “join now” forms simply pass your details to law firms.
Microsoft Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there a Microsoft class action settlement I can claim?
No. As of September 30, 2026, none of the Microsoft cases on this page has a settlement, a fund or a claim form. If a class case settles, the court-approved notice will name an official claims website and a deadline.
What is the Xbox tariff refund lawsuit?
Hastings v. Microsoft Corporation, No. 2:26-cv-02537, filed July 17, 2026 in federal court in Washington state, claims Xbox price increases were linked to the 2025 tariffs and that Microsoft should pass its tariff refunds on to buyers now that the Supreme Court has struck those tariffs down. Microsoft says the buyer got exactly what he paid for and must arbitrate. Sony and Nintendo face the same kind of suit.
Is there a Microsoft 365 or Copilot price increase lawsuit?
Yes, in Australia. The ACCC sued Microsoft on October 27, 2025, alleging it told about 2.7 million Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers to accept Copilot at a higher price or cancel, while keeping cheaper Classic plans out of view. It is seeking penalties and consumer redress for Australian subscribers. Separately, in November 2025 Microsoft apologized and offered a refund of the price difference to Australian subscribers who switched to a Classic plan by December 31, 2025; that offer has closed. We have not confirmed a U.S. consumer class action on the same issue; the U.S. shareholder suit over Copilot is about investors, not subscribers.
Is Microsoft being sued over PC game prices with Valve?
Yes. In Rockman v. Microsoft, filed May 31, 2026 in the Western District of Washington, gamers claim Microsoft accepted payments from Valve under an agreement to match game prices across their competing storefronts. Microsoft moved to dismiss in August 2026, calling it a publisher–distributor agreement. Nothing has been certified or settled.
Is Microsoft being sued by The New York Times?
Yes, together with OpenAI. The Times, other newspapers and book authors claim the companies used their work to train AI models without permission; the cases sit in MDL No. 3143 before Judge Sidney H. Stein in New York, and summary-judgment motions filed September 4, 2026 are pending. Any recovery would go to publishers and authors, not to Copilot users. More on our OpenAI lawsuit page.
I own Microsoft stock. Is there a Microsoft securities class action?
Law firms have announced one on behalf of people who bought Microsoft securities between May 1, 2025 and January 28, 2026, alleging Microsoft concealed problems with its Copilot products. The lead-plaintiff deadline was August 11, 2026; you do not need to be lead plaintiff to share in any recovery. There is no settlement.
Is Microsoft being sued over Minecraft or video game addiction?
Families have filed personal-injury lawsuits against Microsoft and Mojang, including in Los Angeles Superior Court (JCCP 5363), alleging Minecraft was designed to addict children. These are individual claims through a lawyer, not a class with a sign-up form; at least one case was sent to arbitration, and as of mid-2026 neither company had settled any. Details on our Minecraft lawsuit page.
What should I do right now?
If you bought an Xbox in the U.S. since the 2025 price increases, keep the receipt or order confirmation. If you pay for Microsoft 365, check your plan and price by signing in to your Microsoft account directly. Ignore anyone who wants a fee, your password or remote access to “release” Microsoft settlement money — no legitimate settlement charges a fee to pay you.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.