13 Mar, 2008: Sign the Petition to EU Parliament to Use Open Standards and Promote Interoperability
If you are a European citizen, sign the petition to "Open Parliament" and encourage the use of open standards and interoperable systems in the European ICT sector. The Open Parliament Petition states that citizens should not have to use the software of a single company in order to communicate with their elected officials or participate in the legislate ...

6 Mar, 2008: Complaint Lodged Over EU Parliament’s Exclusive Use Of Microsoft Systems (IP-Watch)
A formal complaint has been lodged with the European Parliament over how its information technology systems rely almost exclusively on software manufactured by Microsoft. Advocates of open standard software, which is developed on a not-for-profit basis, allege that the Seattle-based giant enjoys an effective monopoly or ‘lock-in’ within the European Union institutions. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and ...

29 Feb, 2008: Free, Open Software Supporters Advocate Against Microsoft Document Standard (IP-Watch)
Free software and open standards proponents met this week in Geneva to discuss the importance of standards-setting and to debate the role of patent protections and advocate freedom of information sharing in the digital economy. Organised by open source software advocacy group OpenForum Europe and happening against the backdrop of Microsoft’s bid to have its document format Office Open ...

24 Jan, 2008: Why Does ‘Openness’ Matter for ICT?
IT is increasingly embedded into our daily lives and continues to meld with traditional industries and applications such as healthcare, transportation, media, security, and telecommunications. Battles over non-interoperability and consumer access due to a lack of open IT standards are popping up in unexpected places. The automotive repair industry provides a good example of this: consumers and non-dealer-owned repair shops are fighting for access to technical ...

15 Feb, 2007: Malaysian Govt Preliminary Decision to Accept Open Document Format (Self)
Malaysia's standards body SIRIM voted to propose ODF as a country standard, following the recognition in May by ISO of ODF as an international standard. After a public comment period that ends in October, Malaysia's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is expected to formally endorse ODF by year's end, recommending the format for use by the public sector.

6 Feb, 2007: A New Texas Bill for Open Standards (PlexNex)

25 Jan, 2007: South Africa’s CSIR adopts ODF, moves to open source
The South Africa-based CSIR has adopted the open document format (ODF) as its default document format as part of the organisation's move to free and open source software. The scientific and industrial research parastatal adopted ODF late in 2006 and says the move is an "enabler of the adoption of open source software". In a release today the ...

23 Jan, 2007: EC Study: Open Source Saves EU Organizations 12B Euros (Tectonic)
A new study on free and open source software and its contribution to the European Union economy has found that in "almost all" cases, a transition toward open source would offer organisations savings on the long term costs of ownership of the software products. The report, funded by the European Commission concludes that free software could offer organisations significant ...

19 Jan, 2007: Yale Law School’s Open Standards International Symposium (OSIS)
During this ground-breaking symposium, a distinguished international group of technologists, policymakers, entrepreneurs, executives, lawyers, computer scientists, and activists will map out the terrain of open standards issues in four panels: (1) Technology; (2) Economics; (3) Politics; and (4) Law. Read more ....

18 Jan, 2007: India - Kerala’s Draft IT Policy Released (The Hindu)
... The policy stresses that Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) will be used in e-governance projects. Open standards such as Unicode and Open Document Format and Open Architectures will be followed in e-governance projects to avoid total dependence on select vendors. The Government proposed to develop the State as the FOSS destination in the country. It will provide ...

28 Nov, 2006: ODF Alliance Hails Brazil, India, Italy, and Poland for Recognizing OpenDocument Format (ODF Alliance)

1 Nov, 2006: Copyrights, Knowledge Access, Democracy Debated At Internet Forum (IP-Watch)
Open Standards Coalition Launched -- Separately, this week also saw the launch of a group referred to as the Dynamic Coalition on Open ICT Standards, aimed at ensuring openness and interoperability in information and communications technologies. The group is looking at standards for open document formats to enable easy sharing. Participants in the launch event included Susan Struble, Sun ...

31 Oct, 2006: Sun to plug OpenDocument to Global Summit
Sun Microsystems Inc and like-minded organizations will promote the use of open standards, including the OpenDocument Format much feared by Microsoft Corp, at the Internet Governance Forum summit this week in Athens, Greece. The company, along with supporters including IP Justice and the Consumer Project on Technology, will urge governments to adopt procurement practices that recognize open technology standards ...