The Danish Competition Authority Recommends a Continued Use of all Open Standards for Office Software in the Public Sector
Press release on 12 August 2009
In its recent report, the Danish Competition Authority has conducted a study into the competition in the market for office software, i.e. word processing, spreadsheet and presentations. The Danish Competition Authority recommends carrying out the resolution that public purchases must be based upon both the present open standards, so that solutions support either OOOXML or ODF as well as accept text documents in both formats.
The Danish Competition Authority’s study is intended to form part of the basis of the Government’s resolution whether ODF, OOXML or both standards, in the future, must be obligatory standards by public purchases of office software.
Deputy Director General, Agnete Gersing:
- ‘The market for office programs is international. A Danish resolution will only have direct impact on a minor part of the market’.
- ‘At present, it will not improve competition to choose only one of the standards’.
- ‘Choosing OOXML will currently exclude all other suppliers but Microsoft, while, by choosing ODF, competition will unfold between the very same office suites as in a situation where both standards are chosen. Moreover, choosing ODF will not ensure the necessary interoperability between the office suites.
- ‘The standards are still new and it is uncertain to predict in which direction the market moves. If only one of the standards is chosen and this standard does not turn out to become market standard, there is a risk of substantial investment mistakes’.
The entire report will be translated into English shortly.
For further information, please contact Head of Office Martin Windelin on telephone (+45) 7226 8082 or Chief Special Advisor Michael Fibiger on telephone (+45) 7226 8102.
Facts
The market for office software (pdf)
Agnete Gersing's presentation from the press meeting (only available in Danish)