OpenDocument Format Alliance
Encyclopedia
The Open Document Format Alliance (ODF Alliance) is a Washington, D.C.
-based lobbying
organization established by IBM
, Sun Microsystems
and SIIA to "promote and advance the use of OpenDocument Format (ODF) as the primary document format for governments" Although originally focused on promotion of ODF "via legislation or by executive policy decision", the ODF Alliance also did extensive PR and lobbying in opposition to the Microsoft
-backed Office Open XML standard.
Founded by IBM, Sun and 33 other companies and organizations on March 3, 2006, the Alliance now boasts more than 500 members. However funding sources are not itemized in the organization's 2007 annual report, so membership financial participation is unclear.
The ODF Alliance does not give a physical location on their website, but from documents filed with the State of New York, the ODF Alliance appears to be headquartered at 1090 Vermont Avenue
, NW, 6th Floor Washington, DC 20005, sharing offices with the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), one of the original backers of the ODF Alliance.
. While at the Department of State, he was part of former Secretary of State
Colin Powell's
inner circle. Prior to joining the Bush administration, "Marcich also served as the National Association of Manufacturers
(NAM) assistant vice president for international economic affairs, leading key lobby campaigns for World Trade Organization
accession and trade-promotion authority."
Kathyrn Brownlee, Public Relations (Rational PR) Public Relations for the ODF Alliance is handled by Rational PR. Although Rational PR does not list the ODF Alliance as a client as of April 2008, SIIA is listed.
provides no information on funding or management structure. At this time, the website lists 6 "national chapters" outside of the United States; Brazil
, Europe
, India
, Malaysia, Poland
and Portugal
, but it is unclear if those chapter organizations have any input into the policy decisions of the organization.
The ODF Alliance has also been very active in lobbying
U.S. State and International governments on ODF issues to promote legislative mandates for the use of the ODF document format. The ODF Alliance has provided public testimony in the following fora:
Anti-OOXML
During late 2007 though 2008, the ODF Alliance was focused on lobbying ISO members in order to prevent OOXML from being accepted by ISO.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
organization established by IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
and SIIA to "promote and advance the use of OpenDocument Format (ODF) as the primary document format for governments" Although originally focused on promotion of ODF "via legislation or by executive policy decision", the ODF Alliance also did extensive PR and lobbying in opposition to the Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
-backed Office Open XML standard.
Founded by IBM, Sun and 33 other companies and organizations on March 3, 2006, the Alliance now boasts more than 500 members. However funding sources are not itemized in the organization's 2007 annual report, so membership financial participation is unclear.
The ODF Alliance does not give a physical location on their website, but from documents filed with the State of New York, the ODF Alliance appears to be headquartered at 1090 Vermont Avenue
1090 Vermont Avenue
1090 Vermont Avenue NW is a high-rise modernist office building in Washington, D.C., which is tied with the Renaissance Washington DC Hotel as the fourth-tallest commercial building in the city . The building is 187 feet high and has 12 floors...
, NW, 6th Floor Washington, DC 20005, sharing offices with the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), one of the original backers of the ODF Alliance.
Staff
Marino Marcich - Executive Director. Prior to joining the ODF Alliance, Marcich was a four-year veteran of the Bush administration State DepartmentUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. While at the Department of State, he was part of former Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Colin Powell's
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
inner circle. Prior to joining the Bush administration, "Marcich also served as the National Association of Manufacturers
National Association of Manufacturers
The National Association of Manufacturers is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C. with 10 additional offices across the country...
(NAM) assistant vice president for international economic affairs, leading key lobby campaigns for World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
accession and trade-promotion authority."
Kathyrn Brownlee, Public Relations (Rational PR) Public Relations for the ODF Alliance is handled by Rational PR. Although Rational PR does not list the ODF Alliance as a client as of April 2008, SIIA is listed.
Structure
The ODF Alliance websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
provides no information on funding or management structure. At this time, the website lists 6 "national chapters" outside of the United States; Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Malaysia, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, but it is unclear if those chapter organizations have any input into the policy decisions of the organization.
Activities
ODF PreferencesThe ODF Alliance has also been very active in lobbying
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
U.S. State and International governments on ODF issues to promote legislative mandates for the use of the ODF document format. The ODF Alliance has provided public testimony in the following fora:
- 2008 April 9: Testimony before the Government Reform Committee, State of Texas;
- 2007 February 7: Newsletter to ODF Alliance Members;
- 2007 April 17: AB 1668 CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Assembly Bill: Bill Analysis.
Anti-OOXML
During late 2007 though 2008, the ODF Alliance was focused on lobbying ISO members in order to prevent OOXML from being accepted by ISO.
- Ongoing: OOXML Updates and Analysis;
- 2007 June 7: "ODF Alliance posts documents about OOXML/OpenXML/whatever";
- 2008 February 25: Open Forum Europe GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
Conference.
External links
- Open Document Format Alliance - ODF Alliance web site.
- ODF Alliance, Who, What, Where (and Why?) - SlashdotSlashdotSlashdot is a technology-related news website owned by Geeknet, Inc. The site, which bills itself as "News for Nerds. Stuff that Matters", features user-submitted and ‑evaluated current affairs news stories about science- and technology-related topics. Each story has a comments section...
commentary.