, Microsoft's director for corporate standards, declined to comment on Open XML's current chances for ISO approval.

"Do we have opinions? Yes, but we want to be respectful of the ISO process," he said.

IBM, which cast the sole vote last fall in Ecma opposing Open XML, declined to comment. The company is supporting ODF for its as well as . It has also been accused by Microsoft of meddling in Open XML's approval.

And now?

It's unclear what happens next. According to a message from the JTC-1 Secretariat, Lisa Rajchel, she will "consult with ITTF (Information Technology Task Force) staff regarding the next steps to be taken with the Fast Track submission. Based on this consultation, the Secretariat will communicate the next steps to JTC-1 National Bodies in the very near future."