PRESS RELEASE
3 September 2007
The UK has submitted its comments on the adoption of the draft of ISO/IEC DIS 29500 OOXML (also known as ECMA 376) to JTC1, the joint technical committee of ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, and IEC, the International Electrotechnical Commission. The comments were collated after several months of technical review by industry experts.
JTC1/SC 34, a subcommittee of JTC1, will now prepare a document containing comments from all the National Standards Bodies which, if required, will be addressed at a ballot resolution meeting in February 2008 for the standardization process to continue.
ISO/IEC DIS 29500 OOXML is a 6000 page technical specification, produced by Ecma, the European Computer Manufacturers Association. It was submitted to JTC1 by Ecma to become an International Standard following which, each national member of JTC1 tasked its own technical committee to reach a decision on its behalf.
In the UK, a technical panel comprising large and small companies, public sector organisations, user groups, academia and government, was specially created to review ISO/IEC DIS 29500 OOXML. It identified a number of technical issues in the document which need to be addressed before the UK can approve ISO/IEC DIS 29500 OOXML as an International Standard.
Mike Low, Director of BSI British Standards, said, “BSI has led a rigorous review process on ISO/IEC DIS 29500 OOXML in the UK, considering hundreds of comments on the draft standard.
The BSI technical committee will now work within JTC1/SC 34, during the next stage of the international standardization process, to resolve the comments that have been raised.”
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About BSI British Standards
BSI British Standards is the UK’s national standards organization, recognized globally for its independence, integrity and innovation in the production of standards and information products that promote and share best practice. BSI works with businesses, consumers and government to represent UK interests and to make sure that British, European and international standards are useful, relevant and authoritative. For further information please visit www.bsi-global.com/britishstandards.
About BSI Group
BSI British Standards is part of BSI Group, a global independent business services organization that inspires confidence and delivers assurance to customers with standards-based solutions. Originating as the world’s first national standards body, the Group has over 2,250 staff operating in over 100 countries through more than 50 global offices. The Group’s key offerings are:
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