Microsoft expressed disappointment over the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) rejection of the Office Open XML file format as a standard.

In a statement, Microsoft said, “While we are disappointed with the decision of the BIS committee, we are very encouraged by the support of IT industry players such as Nasscom, TCS, Wipro and Infosys Technologies who voted in favour of Open XML becoming an ISO standard. We will continue to work with the government to address any concerns they may have; and to achieve its stated goal of technology neutrality.”

BIS LITD 15 Committee held its meeting to take the final verdict on the subject in BIS office on Thursday.

The thirteen (13) committee members voted against the standard were the Department of Information Technology (DIT), National Informatics Centre (NIC), CDAC, IIT-Mumbai, IIM-Ahmedabad, Red Hat, IBM and Sun Microsystems.

The five (5) members who voted supporting Microsoft comprised Wipro, TCS, Nasscom, Infosys and Microsoft itself. Hardware body Manufacturers’ Association of Information Technology refrained from voting.

BIS is the nodal agency, which represents India at the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). 

In December 2006, Ecma International had sanctioned ‘Open XML’, and they submitted it at the ISO for standardisation. At the decision of the Ballot procedure, the BIS voted a ‘disapprove with 82 comments’ in September 2007 for Open XML. Between September 2007 and January 2008, Ecma International worked on and submitted planned dispositions to all the comments, all of which were discussed during the Ballot Resolution Meeting last month; and 1011 of them adopted by consensus.

Microsoft said, “The concerns raised by a BIS committee have been addressed by the ISO and Ecma International with a majority of the comments getting addressed at the recently concluded Ballot Resolution Meeting (BRM) at Geneva. We hoped that 98.73 per cent of the total 1027 comments from all national bodies stood resolved at the BRM would be welcomed by the BIS, as it has been by the national bodies of numerous countries.”

The ISO would take a final decision after March 29, the last date for receiving votes from all member nations.