LWN: FFII on Proposed OpenXML Adoption

"The FFII has sent an open letter to all delegations of the International Standardization Organization (ISO) to oppose with contradictions the 'fast track' adoption of the Microsoft's 6000-page OOXML specification (ECMA-376) before the deadline of February, 5th. Microsoft's proposal damages the adoption of the existing ISO 26300 standard (OpenDocument) that covers almost the same functionality in just 600 pages.

"The FFII has several concerns with the proposed standard. OpenXML relies on undisclosed patents, and undisclosed or incomplete licensing terms that make any independent reimplementation impossible or heavily risky..."

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• ConsortiumInfo: Final OpenXML Approval Draft May be Posted by Ecma on Monday(Oct 06, 2006)