Open XML, the default file format in Office 2007, was as a standard by the European Computer Manufacturers Association (Ecma) International body after a year-long process shepherded by Microsoft. Open XML's progress in ISO was never going to be as smooth, however. ISO the alternative ODF format as a standard last May.

The nations that submitted comments and objections to Open XML constitute more than half of the 30 countries in ISO's information technology committee -- the gatekeeper that will determine whether to allow Open XML's 6,000 page proposal to get a general vote by ISO's 157 members.

Those countries include Denmark, France, Malaysia and Norway, who have all in the past year non-proprietary document standards such as ODF. They argue that ODF, though much less widely used than Microsoft formats, is more open and could help provide a lower-cost solution based around the free OpenOffice software for cash-strapped government agencies. Microsoft's fear is that businesses and consumers will follow suit.

Other countries that responded to ISO's call include Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

The United States,represented in ISO by the Washington D.C.-based InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS), did not submit a comment or contradiction.