Brussels – 17 April 2008

An independent report published today examines the special status enjoyed by Ecma International in the world of international standardisation and severely criticises the role that this consortium has played in ISO's recent process relating to Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML). The report is part of a series of whitepapers on ICT Standardisation published by the specialist firm 79 Brinkburn. The report which is entirely independent of any third party, and is without sponsorship, reviews the position that Ecma International plays in international standardisation, in particular in light of their support for the fast track of OOXML through ISO. The report is blunt in its criticism and will doubtless be seized on as one further piece of evidence that demolishes the transparency and independence of the said process.

The report applies the Brinkburn Analysis™ to evaluate the validity of Ecma's privileged status within ISO, one not enjoyed by any other Consortia, and criticises ECMA for having “virtually no representation for many points of view” and “no outreach and no liasons with other consortia”. Most damning of all is the conclusion in respect of OOXML - “It is a breach, almost, of common sense. Ecma, through its members, has created, with the exploitation of a loophole, a precedent that may well enable the breakdown of the formal standards process”.

The report was presented today in the European Parliament at a conference on Open Standards and Open Source, by Graham Taylor, Chief Executive of OpenForum Europe (OFE), a co-organiser of the conference. At the Conference, OFE reiterated its concerns about the OOXML process, questioning whether “it was correct to use fast track for an immature, poor-quality, ill-defined specification, riddled by complexity, unanswered questions – technical and non technical, with no obvious benefit to the market – and which competed with an existing standard?”.

OFE challenged both the European Commission and the European Parliament to take a fresh look at what Europe needed from ICT Standardisation to be truly open, and urged them to seek “a level playing field that respects choice and competition, encourages local innovation, and benefits the citizen”.

Today's conference was the latest in a series of OFE activities aimed at promoting Open Standards in the public sector. Last month, OFE, The European Software Market Association, and the Free Software Foundation Europe launched a petition calling on the EP to use open standards so that all citizens can participate in the democratic process, www.openparliament.eu.

ENDS

Issued by Open Forum Europe through Chelgate Ltd.

Notes to editors:

• OpenForum Europe (OFE), is not-for-profit, independent of any organisation and was launched in March 2002 to accelerate, broaden and strengthen the use of Open Source Software in business and government. OFE pursues the vision of an open, competitive European IT market by 2010 in line with the European Commission i2010 Strategy, with the mission of facilitating open competitive choice for IT users. OFE is supported by major IT suppliers and works closely with the market, both direct and via national associates and partners. www.openforumeurope.org

• 79 Brinkburn Limited is a boutique consultancy specializing in helping clients navigate the complexities of ICT standards consortia.  With one of the world's largest databases of consortia, and utilizing the Brinkburn Analysis™, we help clients optimize their participation in - and use of - consortia in the Information & Communications Technology industry. www.79brinkburn.co.uk