Defend Open Standards Call for Action

I know this might sound a bit off-topic but the Microsoft guys are at it again:
This time they are fighting tooth and nail to derail the worldwide adoption of ODF (Open Document Format) as open standards by public bodies: Their strategy is to offer an alternative false standard that no one can apply to any format except them and to throat feed it into the ISO in order to turn the public bodies attention away from ODF.

If we don´t stop these nonsensical maneouvers from the monopolists at redmond, I bet sooner or later, as has been the case with many FLOSS projects, Drupal will be menaced by a Software Patent protection racket, Embraced-Extended-and-Extinguished, or otherwise assaulted by means of some of the many methods that are bussiness as usual for the software giant.

At least for you to be in the know:

http://ooxml.scriptumlibre.org/

Call for Action

OOXML is a document written by one company and is over 6000 pages long. That document, without any changes so far, is being proposed as an ISO standard. At minimum there are quite a lot of problems to be found that in normal processes would be corrected before a standard reaches the point where OOXML is now.

In the current process of making OOXML (or Ecma 376) an ISO standard the national standardization bodies are involved. Unfortunately the free information / software movement shows almost no participation in the OOXML committees in many countries. This results in a threatening and dangerous situation.

The situation is such that immediate action is required:

* First, some decisions are already taken and we can't turn back the clock, the standardization process is continuing every minute.
* Second, Microsoft is represented in the standardization institute in your country by themselves and probably some "stake holding" companies.
* Third, to influence the process you probably must become member of a committee and that takes time and costs money.

Having said this we hope you agree dark clouds have gathered above us. It was a smart step of Microsoft to continue the fast track procedure knowing we are not organized enough to counter them right now.

So what can we do? No, what must be done!

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Get organized: there is an English spoken mail list at http://lists.scriptumlibre.org/listinfo/ooxml, join it.
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We have to find out who are participating in your country. Make an entry at this wiki and publish it.
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Then we have to restore the balance at places where it is needed most.
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Seek committee members who are on our side.
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And or join your national committee.

Your help is urgently needed and there is no time to loose.