LibreOffice Claims Microsoft Rigged OOXML Approval Process

The Document Foundation (TDF), the organization behind LibreOffice, has accused Microsoft of manipulating the international standardization process to secure approval for its Office Open XML (OOXML) document format.

In a new blog post, TDF claims Microsoft exploited weaknesses in ISO procedures, influenced national standards committees, and pushed through a specification that was too large for proper review.

The allegations revisit a controversy dating back to 2006–2008, when Microsoft sought ISO approval for OOXML despite the existence of the OpenDocument Format (ODF), an already recognized international standard.

LibreOffice claims Microsoft influenced ISO voting

According to TDF, Microsoft and its business partners increased their representation within national standardization committees to influence the OOXML approval process.

The organization highlighted several examples. In Portugal, the standards committee reportedly gained numerous members connected to Microsoft. In Italy, committee membership allegedly jumped from just five to 80, including representatives of Microsoft’s legal and public relations partners.

Martin Bryan, an ISO working group coordinator at the time, also criticized the involvement of new participants who appeared more interested in accelerating OOXML approval than examining the specification.

Despite the controversy, OOXML received ISO approval in 2008, and authorities subsequently rejected appeals challenging the decision.

TDF has previously criticized Microsoft’s OOXML format, particularly over its implications for digital sovereignty.

LibreOffice says OOXML still causes compatibility problems

TDF argues that the consequences of the approval process continue to affect office software nearly two decades later.

The organization points out that Microsoft Office 2010 relied on the transitional version of OOXML rather than fully adopting the strict format approved by ISO.

According to TDF, Microsoft’s continued reliance on transitional OOXML has contributed to compatibility problems between Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, and other productivity applications.

These disagreements extend beyond the standard itself. LibreOffice has also blamed Microsoft for chart compatibility problems when users open Office documents in competing software.

TDF maintains that Microsoft and other software companies should have focused on improving the existing ODF standard instead of developing competing document formats.

The organization argues that the decision continues to undermine interoperability, user choice, and digital sovereignty.

In other news, LibreOffice has emerged as an alternative for Microsoft Publisher users as Microsoft ends support for the publishing application.