Author: Italo Vignoli

I decided to start the current campaign, with one blog post per week focusing on the different aspects of Open Document Format, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the standardisation by OASIS, which happened in May 2005.

My hope was to raise the interest around ODF, which is the document format that every conscious user of office suites should adopt in order to maintain full control on his intellectual property (even if we are not professional writers or researchers, the content of our documents is our intellectual property, and we have the right to decide when, how and with whom we want to share it).

My articles were targeting LibreOffice users, as they have the privilege – over other office suite users – of creating documents (and I am not referring only to text, but also to spreadsheets and presentations or drawings) with the only program adopting ODF as native document format.

I wanted to strengthen their understanding of ODF, and explain in detail the enormous value of the open and standard document format they are using in comparison with the closed and proprietary Microsoft office document format, which is unfortunately the most used worldwide to maintain Microsoft lock in and reinforce Microsoft monopoly.

Software supporting OOXML – the technical name of the closed and proprietary Microsoft office document format – as their native document format are in fact strengthening Microsoft lock in just because in their paramount ignorance of the real situation – today, OOXML is the only lock in tool available to Microsoft – they protect Microsoft rather than protecting their users. In reality, they are enemies of their own users, as they use Microsoft handcuffs to prevent them to own and control their intellectual property.

Unfortunately, the absolute majority of office suite users are not aware of the issues – for their intellectual property – related to the closed and proprietary Microsoft office document format, and are just victim of the irresponsible choice about the native document format made by developers of OnlyOffice and WPS Office, and the likes.

Of course, given Microsoft monopoly on office suites, programs must support OOXML to their best, as LibreOffice does, to “steal” Microsoft stronghold on intellectual property, and give it back to legitimate owners, i.e. users of Microsoft office series suites, whatever the name, and of their accomplishes.

While I was trying to explain all this with my blog posts about ODF, something unexpected happened: several journalists picked up the contents of the articles and relaunched them on their media, showing that there is still hope for a sane attitude about document formats, rather than the current “comfortable” behaviour of choosing the most frequently used document format without even thinking to the consequences of the evil strategy associated to it.

Based on this unexpected – and extremely positive – outcome, I have decided to revive the ODF Advocacy project (which was killed twice in the past) by launching ODF News (https://www.odf.news), where I will write about ODF and publish ODF supporting documents.

ODF News will go live in January 2026, to prepare for the 20th anniversary of ODF being approved as ISO/IEC 26300.

This new version of the native LibreOffice document format standard marks the 20th anniversary of the only open document format for office applications

Berlin, December 3, 2025 – The Document Foundation announces that OASIS Open (www.oasis-open.org), the global open-source and standards organisation, has approved the Open Document Format (ODF) for office applications v1.4 as an OASIS standard, which is the organisation’s highest level of ratification.

The release of ODF v1.4 coincides with the 20th anniversary of ODF’s adoption as an OASIS Standard. Since 2005, ODF has served users as a vendor-neutral, royalty-free format for office documents, ensuring that files remain readable, editable and interoperable across platforms.

Several governments and international organisations, including NATO, the European Commission and countries across multiple continents, have mandated ODF for their operations worldwide.

ODF v1.4 maintains full backward compatibility and improves developer documentation, adds better support for assistive technologies for accessibility, improves professional document formatting and visual design capabilities, and expands features for data analysis and technical documentation. These updates reinforce the Open Document Format’s position as a comprehensive solution for office productivity and document creation.

“ODF provides a vendor-neutral foundation for office productivity and collaboration. With v1.4, the standard continues to evolve, supporting cloud collaboration, richer multimedia, and standardised security,” said Svante Schubert, Open Document Format’s TC Co-Chair. “Looking ahead, ODF is moving beyond document exchange towards standardised, semantic, change-based collaboration, enabling the meaningful sharing of interoperable changes across platforms.”

ODF v1.4 safeguards digital sovereignty by removing a single vendor’s control over documents and returning it to the community, to allows individuals and enterprises to independently decide how and with whom to share content, preventing it from being analysed for commercial purposes or potentially shared without the legitimate owner’s knowledge.
Like all other versions of the standard format, ODF 1.4 is based on an XML schema that complies with simplicity and readability guidelines, making files much more robust and secure than those commonly found on the market.

Overall, this is another significant step towards transparency, openness and digital sovereignty, thanks to the collaborative efforts of open-source software developers, advocates and users.
The finalized four-part specification of ODF v1.4 can be found in the OASIS library by clicking here: docs.oasis-open.org/office/OpenDocument/v1.4/os/.

The announcement mentions OASIS sponsors who have not contributed to the development of ODF 1.4, whereas The Document Foundation, which funded the development of the standard alongside companies such as Microsoft and has always advocated for it, is not mentioned at all. Unfortunately, business is business, even when it comes to open standards.

ODF 1.4 New Features

General

• The writing direction specification has been expanded and clarified.
• Complex backgrounds, such as colour gradients or hatching, can now be applied to a wider range of objects.
• Objects can be marked as “decorative” to support accessibility technologies.
• Shapes can now contain not only simple text and lists, but also tables.
• The method for specifying the handles of shapes has been improved.
• A new, more flexible method has been added for specifying the format of number labels in multi-level lists.

Text Documents

• It is now possible to position objects relative to the page margins.
• A binding area (also known as a gutter) can be set in the page format.
• The overlay behaviour of objects can now be specified more flexibly.

Spreadsheets

• A new function, EASTERSUNDAY, can be used to calculate the date of Easter and its associated dates.
• Text colour and cell background colour can be used as filter criteria.

Charts

• Scales can be labelled more flexibly.
• For logarithmic scales, the underlying base can be specified.

Formula Typesetting

• All versions of the MathML formula language are now permitted.

Reliable data flows, verifiable signatures and predictable structures are essential for digital identity systems, which touch every aspect of modern digital life. They authorise transactions, confirm requests and guarantee security policies.

In this context, the Open Document Format (ODF) offers a transparent, computer-readable foundation for verifying the authenticity of documents and ensuring their long-term integrity.

Each ODF file is a structured ZIP container with a consistent internal layout. It contains a set of XML files that are always located in the same position. These files include meta.xml for metadata, manifest.xml for the list of files and relationships, content.xml for document data and styles.xml for presentation rules. The files are either ODT (text), ODS (spreadsheets), ODP (presentations) or ODG (drawings).

Because everything is in XML format and in the same location, identity systems can analyse the content without searching for it as they would with OOXML files, which vary greatly depending on the application used to create them. Identity systems can therefore focus on specific parts of a file rather than scanning raw binary blocks, which are present in OOXML files.

This is important for signing, integrity validation, metadata extraction and policy enforcement. When documents move from one identity platform to another, APIs can map ODF elements in a stable manner, reducing ambiguity and improving verification speed.

Document Signing

ODF supports the XML Signature and XML Encryption standards via the META-INF/documentsignatures.xml file. This file can contain multiple independent signatures, each relating to specific parts of the document. The signature refers to an explicit path within the ZIP container, making automatic verification easier and avoiding confusion caused by false errors resulting from layout changes.

Each document can contain user signatures, organisational seals, timestamps, and workflow attestations. Each signature can also contain its own certificate chain, revocation information, and policies.

ODF is compatible with standard X.509 certificates, enabling the use of national eIDAS identification systems and corporate PKI systems. Verification pipelines can apply the same trust rules used for signed emails or encrypted communications.

Interoperability and Identity Federation

Digital identity works best when it is portable. ODF’s openness supports this by avoiding vendor-specific binary constructs. Any identity framework can be integrated with ODF because its schema is public and stable, its structure is predictable, and there are no proprietary validators.

In federated identity ecosystems, such as cross-border government services or multi-cloud enterprise configurations, ODF reduces friction and ensures that documents remain compatible, even when authentication systems differ.

Long-Term Signature Validation and Archival Use

In some cases, identity systems must verify a document signed many years earlier, which requires long-term validation. ODF supports long-term authentication because its XML structure is future-proof: it can store timestamps, revocation data and certificate chains, and it avoids vendor-specific cryptographic formats.

In legal, regulatory and archival contexts, this aspect is more important than speed. Formats that rely on proprietary rendering engines risk becoming unreadable over time, whereas ODF remains readable, even many years later.

ODF in Zero Trust Workflows

In Zero Trust architectures, every resource must be verified at every stage. The structure of ODF fits perfectly into this model. Automated systems can verify the following: certificate validity, signature integrity, metadata trust levels, and the consistency of internal component hashes

As ODF exposes everything via XML, identity engines can apply consistent rules without performing custom analysis, thereby reducing attack surfaces and simplifying compliance.

The Evolution of ODF into the Future

Technical opportunities include using more powerful predefined hash algorithms, adopting JSON-based metadata levels, providing native support for verifiable credentials, and creating standardised profiles for government identity systems.

Given the growth of digital identity frameworks, ODF is the optimal format for documents requiring both authentication and additional security features.

Digital sovereignty, or the ability of nations, organisations and individuals to control their own digital destiny, is a fundamental issue of the 21st century. At the heart of this challenge lies a seemingly trivial question: who controls the format of the documents that contain our intellectual property or personal information?

In this context, the standard and open Open Document Format (ODF) – the native format of LibreOffice documents, also supported by other suites – is the fundamental technology for those seeking true digital independence.

Digital sovereignty includes the ability to control access to one’s own information without depending on third parties, to make independent technological choices based on one’s own needs, to ensure independent access to strategic data without depending on the commercial interests of Big Tech, and to maintain this technological self-determination in the face of market consolidation.

When government agencies, businesses, or citizens store their documents in proprietary formats controlled by Big Tech, they surrender part of their sovereignty and depend on these external entities to access their own information.

Why document formats are important for sovereignty

Document formats are infrastructure, which—like roads, power grids, or telecommunications networks—are fundamental to the functioning of modern societies. Consider what happens when strategic documents exist only in formats controlled by a single vendor:

• Vendor Lock-In: Organisations find themselves trapped, unable to switch to alternative software without costly conversion processes and potential data loss.
• Loss of Control: formats can and do change without notice and beyond the control of users, increasing the effect of vendor lock-in.
• Fragility of Access: if the vendor controlling the format changes the format or discontinues support, as was the case with Windows 10, access to documents becomes problematic or impossible.
• Economic Dependency: The cost of the licence required to perform software updates creates a relationship of economic dependency in order to access one’s own data, and effectively transfers ownership of the data to the vendor that controls the format.

Why ODF is the only tool for digital sovereignty

ODF is governed by OASIS, an international standardisation organisation that protects its transparent development, and is published as ISO/IEC 26300-2015 (and soon ISO/IEC 26300-2025). Unlike proprietary formats, ODF specifications are public and can be freely implemented, are developed through a transparent, multi-stakeholder process, are not controlled by a single government or company, and are subject to international standardisation bodies.

This means that governments and companies can participate in defining the format specifications, rather than being forced to passively accept changes imposed by a single vendor based on its commercial strategies.

Thus, ODF specifications allow anyone to create an office suite that natively supports the format and promotes digital sovereignty, without any authorisation, licence fees or fear of legal action, while supporting the local software industry.

ODF enables true interoperability, not only between different software packages, but also between countries, languages and political systems. A document created in Brazil can be opened and edited in India, Germany or Japan using locally developed software. This breaks down digital barriers and enables the creation of diverse, independent technology ecosystems.

A stack for digital sovereignty

Digital sovereignty requires a multi-layered infrastructure, starting with the ODF open standard format to ensure format independence, moving on to an open source office suite such as LibreOffice to have control over the tool, an open source cloud infrastructure such as Nextcloud to have control over the location of the data, and ending with a legislative framework that defines the requirements for sovereignty.

ODF is at the base of the stack because without an open standard for document format, digital sovereignty is still limited, even with elements such as a law favouring open source software, an open source cloud infrastructure, and an open source office suite.

Challenges for adopting the ODF format

Adopting the open standard ODF format for digital sovereignty is not without its challenges, for several reasons:

• Migration from proprietary formats requires planning, training and, in many cases, managing interoperability issues due to unnecessary complexities artificially built into the proprietary format.
• When stakeholders in the organisation continue to use the proprietary format, exchanging documents in ODF format can create interoperability issues, as office suites that do not use ODF as their native format have problems handling ODF files appropriately.
• Implementing policies focused on digital sovereignty requires a clear commitment from management, which must prioritise long-term independence over short-term convenience.

However, all of these challenges can be managed and tend to diminish over time, while the constraints and costs of dependence on proprietary formats become increasingly severe.