Summary: OpenDocument Format (ODF) keeps spreading while OOXML shows patent complications

Somebody called ruslinux (in Twitter) writes: "Berita baik untuk semua pengguna program perkantoran, pemerintah akui OpenDocument Format sbg standar nasioal dg No. SNI ISO/IEC 26300:2011"

"Which I take to mean that ODF now approved as a national standard in Indonesia," says Rob Weir from IBM.

We wrote about this (or something similar) last year after we explained what Microsoft had been doing in Indonesia. This helped in providing some background.

The i4i case is back in the news, showing OOXML's legal problems. For those who cannot recall, Microsoft and its friends (like Alex Brown) lied about the patent status of OOXML in order to push it past ISO. It's a good thing that nations do not adopt OOXML. The case is still ongoing (many appeals) and OOXML suffers as a result. In another case, Microsoft is appealing a decision regarding its abusive behaviour which Pogson explains as follows:

Duh… It’s not “double recovery”. The conspirators conspired to set up their criminal organization that way. Make them pay for it. That’s a judgment to be made in penalty phase, what portion of the overcharging was due to M$. Pathetic… criminals protected by the legal system.

When consumers complain they are told the competition does not protect them but businesses in competition. When businesses sue, they are kicked out because they did not buy direct from M$.

That's just Microsoft bending the law. ⬆