Abstract
Microsoft’s ‘Office Open XML’ (OOXML) file format is a candidate to become an international ISO standard. Commentators have raised the prospect of potential legal exposure associated with the adoption of OOXML, and conversely that such a standard may reduce such exposure compared to current arrangements. Microsoft’s ‘Covenant Not to Sue’ (CNS) and ‘Open Specification Promise’ (OSP) are potential shields from such liability. These and other issues are examined from both a technical perspective, to gauge the technical scope of coverage, and from the perspective of the legal effect of the CNS and OSP.
Disciplines
Computer Law | Cyberspace Law | Intellectual Property
Date of this Version
December 2007
Recommended Citation
Ronald Yu, Sharron Fast, and David Vaile, "Office Open XML and the promise not to sue: Opportunity or minefield?" (December 2007). University of New South Wales Faculty of Law Research Series. Working Paper 71.
http://law.bepress.com/unswwps-flrps/art71
Comments
This paper is a working paper produced for the OOXML Symposium, held at the UNSW Faculty of Law, 14 December 2007. This paper may also be referenced as [2007] UNSWLRS 71.