[citation][nom]Original Article (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=ay35nJkEoMio)[/nom]In the other case, the EU is investigating complaints that Microsoft doesn’t provide formatting and other information to allow rival products to work with Microsoft Office software including Word and Excel. [/citation]
So the question is this - should software companies have the right to create saved files that are cannot be used in rival products? There are merits to both sides of the argument.
My personal view: allow proprietary formats but require all products to include an option to open/save in an open or standards format, with the requirement that an open format copy is always saved. Optionally, allow a manufacturer to include with their software and distribute free over the web a conversion tool instead of the built in option.
I feel this would benefit the consumer the most, as well as clearly define who is the owner of the user-generated content within the software. If I write a text in a *.docx format, then later decide I wish to use a different piece of software to continue with writing that text, I (as owner of that content) should have the right to access it via that system.
However, I understand that the developer should have a right to have their own trade secrets in format design. Thus, I should have an standardized open format already saved or a converter. This put the burden on the manufacturer to ensure either that I always have a copy or have a method to get a copy of the content I generated.
The strongest advantages of such a system? Companies can keep their proprietary code, consumers don't have to worry about compatibility of their document with what others use (but for "best viewing" the particular software usage would be encouraged), and consumers wouldn't have to worry that 10 years down the line their old format documents won't be able to be open because the product they used is no longer available on the market.