Ecma Okays Office Formats

Default file formats for several Office 2007 applications have been approved by Ecma as a standard called “Office Open XML,” and the organization will also submit the formats to the International Standards Organization (ISO). Standardization of the formats could help protect Office in the public sector, where organizations may not want public documents locked into proprietary formats. However, Microsoft is also hedging its bets by developing Office support for the competing OpenDocument format (ODF).

Ecma (formerly the European Computer Manufacturers Association, but now known only by its acronym) is a standards body for IT and consumer technologies. Ecma approval helps Microsoft address concerns of some governments (such as the U.S. state of Massachusetts) that Office document formats have not been subject to review by other parties or approved by a neutral standards body. Microsoft has issued a patent nonassertion covenant to assure developers that they may use the Office formats without fear of legal action.