ISO/IEC CEOs Recommend Rejection of OOXML Appeals

"The processing of the ISO/IEC DIS 29500 project has been conducted in conformity with the ISO/IEC JTC 1 Directives, with decisions determined by the votes expressed by the relevant ISO and IEC national bodies under their own responsibility, and consequently, for the reasons mentioned above, the appeals should not be process further."

Those who have been disappointed by how the Fast Track process was conducted will also be disappointed by the reasoning they will find in the document, which can be effectively be summarized as follows:

1. All judgments made during the course of the process were appropriately made under the applicable Directives

2. The fact that the BRM voted on all proposed resolutions in some fashion satisfies the requirements of the Directives

3. The fact that a sufficient percentage of National Bodies (NBs) ultimately voted to approve DIS 29500 ratifies the process and any flaws in that process

4. Many objections, regardless of their merits, are irrelevant to the appeals process

The analysis in the document and the final recommendation demonstrate the very limited degree to which decisions made by ISO/IEC can be appealed, no matter ill considered they may be considered to have been by those that have participated in the process.

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