Editing Open file format (section)

==Specific definitions==

===UK government===
In 2012 the UK Government created the policy Open Standards Principles, stating that the Open Standards Principles apply to every aspect of government IT and that Government technology must remain open to everyone.<ref name="Open Standards Principles">{{Cite web|date=2018-04-05|title=Open Standards principles|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-standards-principles/open-standards-principles|access-date=2021-09-10|website=Gov.UK}}  [[File:UKOpenGovernmentLicence.svg|30px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under an [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/  Open Government Licence v3.0]. © Crown copyright.</ref> They have seven principles for selecting open standards for use in government, following these principals many open formats were adopted, notably [[OpenDocument|Open Document Format (ODF)]]. The seven principles for selecting open standards for use in the UK government are:

* Open standards must meet user needs
* Open standards must give suppliers equal access to government contracts
* Open standards must support flexibility and change
* Open standards must support sustainable cost
* Select open standards using well-informed decisions
* Select open standards using fair and transparent processes
* Specify and implement open standards using fair and transparent processes<ref name="Open Standards Principles"/>

===US government===
Within the framework of [[Open Government Initiative]], the [[federal government of the United States]] adopted the [[Data.gov#Open Government Directive|Open Government Directive]], according to which: "An open format is one that is platform independent, machine readable, and made available to the public without restrictions that would impede the re-use of that information".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/open/documents/open-government-directive|title=Open Government Directive|work=The White House |date=December 8, 2009 |first1=Peter R. |last1=Orszag }}</ref>

===State of Minnesota===
The [[Minnesota|State of Minnesota]] defines the criteria for open, XML-based file formats as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Updegrove |first=Andy |date=2007-02-06 |title=Meanwhile, Deep Down in Texas: An Open Format Bill is Filed |url=https://www.consortiuminfo.org/opendocument-and-ooxml/meanwhile-deep-down-in-texas-an-open-format-bill-is-filed/ |access-date=2023-11-23 |website=ConsortiumInfo.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

* The format is interoperable among diverse internal and external platforms and applications
* The format is fully published and available royalty-free
* The format is implemented by multiple vendors
* The format is controlled by an open industry organization with a well-defined inclusive process for evolution of the standard

===Commonwealth of Massachusetts===
The [[Massachusetts|Commonwealth of Massachusetts]] "defines open formats as specifications for data file formats that are based on an underlying open standard, developed by an open community, affirmed and maintained by a standards body and are fully documented and publicly available."<ref>"[http://xml.coverpages.org/ni2007-07-03-a.html Major Revision of Massachusetts Enterprise Technical Reference Model (ETRM).]" Robin Cover, Editor – 3 July 2007 – Cover Pages.</ref>

The Enterprise Technical Reference Model (ETRM) classifies four formats as "Open Formats":
#[[OpenDocument|OASIS Open Document Format For Office Applications (OpenDocument) v. 1.1]]
#[[Office Open XML|Ecma-376 Office Open XML Formats (Open XML)]]
#[[HTML|Hypertext Document Format v. 4.01]]
#[[plain text|Plain Text Format]]

===Sun Microsystems===
[[Sun Microsystems]] defined the criteria for open formats as follows:<ref name=":0">[https://web.archive.org/web/20060924102321/http://www.xml.gov/presentations/sun/odf.pdf Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) v1.0] – OASIS Standard, 1 May 2005</ref>
* The format is based on an underlying open standard
* The format is developed through a publicly visible, community-driven process
* The format is affirmed and maintained by a vendor-independent standards organization
* The format is fully documented and publicly available
* The format does not contain proprietary extensions

===The Linux Information Project===
According to [[The Linux Information Project]], the term ''open format'' should refer to "any format that is published for anyone to read and study but which may or may not be encumbered by patents, copyrights or other restrictions on use"<ref name="Free File Format Definition"/> – as opposed to a ''free format'' which is ''not'' encumbered by any copyrights, patents, trademarks or other restrictions.