Nineteen countries, including some that have already adopted the alternative ISO-approved OpenDocument Format (ODF) standard, submitted comments and objections regarding Open XML, according to an official letter sent out Tuesday by ISO and viewed by Computerworld.

Stacy Leistner, director of communication for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which is helping ISO manage the Open XML approval process, declined to comment on how many of the 19 submissions were "contradictions." In ISO terminology, contradictions are serious objections to ratifying Open XML. Submissions can also include more general comments.

"It's up to each country to define what constitutes a contradiction to an existing ISO standard," Leistner said. "It could be anything from changing a comma here or there, or a more technical objection."

At least one country said its letter to ISO leans towards the latter. "While Australia did not submit a formal contradiction, a number of issues were identified during our review that we believe warrant consideration," Alistair Tegart, a program manager with , wrote in an e-mail.

But Boston lawyer Andrew Updegrove, citing a source close to the process, said at least seven countries submitted formal objections to Open XML's approval. "All in all, not a very auspicious start for Open XML. And not one that augers well for a very fast Fast Track experience," he wrote in his ConsortiumInfo Standards blog.