Microsoft introduced several updates to its product terms in January. Below we summarise key changes and their potential impact.

Rebranding – Microsoft CoPilot Renaming

Microsoft continues to refine its product naming conventions by incorporating ‘365’ across its portfolio. Notably:

• Microsoft Copilot has been rebranded as Microsoft 365 Copilot in the main Microsoft 365 page.
• In Microsoft’s Privacy and Security Terms,  Microsoft Copilot is now referred to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, distinguishing the conversational AI interface from other Copilot functionalities).

These changes reflect Microsoft’s broader strategy to unify branding and reinforce the integration of AI-driven assistance within its 365 ecosystem.

Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR and Hunting: Availability and Licensing Updates

Microsoft has updated the product terms for Microsoft Defender Experts for XDR and Microsoft Defender Experts for Hunting, both add-on licenses for Microsoft’s managed security services of extended detection and response (XDR) and its ‘threat hunting’ counterpart.

• An asterisk has been added to the availability tables, clarifying that these services are not included in all sales channels. They remain exclusively available to customers with an Enterprise Agreement (EA/EAS/SCE) or an Enrollment for Education Solutions (EES).
• The list of prerequisite licenses has been reduced, meaning some customers may find that certain staff are no longer eligible for these licenses—though this is expected to have minimal impact

More details can be found in the official Microsoft pages for Defender Experts for XDR and Defender Experts for Hunting.

Microsoft Azure – Clarifying Text-To-Speech (TTS) Usage Rights

A new clause has been added to Microsoft Azure’s product terms regarding Text-To-Speech (TTS) Services:

• Customer Data Submission: Customers must confirm they have the necessary rights to any data submitted to the TTS Services.  
• TTS Output Usage: Customers using the paid tier of TTS Service, Customer may use the prebuilt neural voice-generated audio output for commercial purposes.

This update reinforces Microsoft’s stance on data rights and clarifies permissible use cases for AI-generated speech.

Consolidating Privacy & Security Terms

Continuing its efforts to streamline documentation, Microsoft has migrated clauses from various product pages into the Privacy and Security Terms section. Microsoft states that this update aims to ‘categorize similar terms together and improve the customer experience and discoverability of Privacy & Security terms‘.

As Microsoft refines its licensing structures and security offerings, staying informed on these changes ensures businesses can manage compliance effectively. If you need tailored advice on how these updates impact your organization, our team of experts is here to help.

About the Author

Robert Wright, Microsoft Consultant

Robert Wright is an ex-Microsoft auditor turned Licensing Consultant. He focuses on license compliance with a strong emphasis on cost-saving strategies. With a proven track record, he excels in optimizing licensing portfolios across various industries, particularly in the public sector.