Microsoft is to court controversy again by seeking standardisation for a format that challenges Adobe’s ubiquitous PDF for reading documents.

XPS (XML Paper Specification) has already raised concerns, in part because it competes with what has become a de facto standard for maintaining file formatting, logos and other page elements when files are emailed, shared or printed.

Microsoft’s approach to standards body Ecma International replicates an earlier move to make its Office Open XML (OOXML) a standard. That angered supporters of the rival Open Document Format (ODF) who questioned whether Microsoft’s heavyweight documentation was intended to deter its progress. One critic, Simon Phipps of Sun, also derided Ecma as “a coin-in-the-slot standards organisation”.

However, Ecma’s Technical Committee states that XPS could go on to become an ISO or other standard.

Microsoft’s moves are already upsetting some observers.

On his personal blog, IBM vice-president for open-source and standards Bob Sutor wrote, “The standard must be compatible with Microsoft’s implementation, which is the only implementation. How open. How independent. How collaborative. What do you think? Should we just save time and money and let Microsoft simply define international standards for us based on what they put in their products?”

On the ConsortiumInfo.org site, technology law expert Andy Updegrove  wrote: “If OOXML, and now XPS, each sail through Ecma and are then adopted by ISO … then I think that we might as well declare ‘game over’ for open standards.”

However, some noted that a positive outcome could be forthcoming in that Adobe will have to continue to open up PDF, a process it started in January by announcing plans to submit the PDF specification for ISO approval.