Open Standards are essential for interoperability and freedom of choice based on the merits of different software applications. They provide freedom from data lock-in and the subsequent supplier lock-in. This makes Open Standards essential for governments, companies, organisations and individual users of information technology.

# Definition

An Open Standard refers to a format or protocol that is:

1. Subject to full public assessment and use without constraints in a manner equally available to all parties;
2. Without any components or extensions that have dependencies on formats or protocols that do not meet the definition of an Open Standard themselves;
3. Free from legal or technical clauses that limit its utilisation by any party or in any business model;
4. Managed and further developed independently of any single supplier in a process open to the equal participation of competitors and third parties;
5. Available in multiple complete implementations by competing suppliers, or as a complete implementation equally available to all parties.

## What Open Standards mean to you

Open Standards ensure that you can:

- Collaborate and communicate with others, regardless of which software they are using
- Upgrade or replace your apps and still be able to open and edit your old files
- Choose which phone / tablet / computer you want to use without worrying about compatibility

Open Standards ensure that society has:

- More competitive software and tech products
- More efficient governmental systems and services
- More accessible high-end software for innovation and experimentation

## More information on Open Standards

- [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_standard)
- [Open Standards by the Free Software Foundation Europe](http://www.fsfe.org/projects/os/os.en.html)
- [UN IGF Dynamic Coalition on Open Standards](http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/dynamic-coalitions/70-open-standards)
- [The Digital Standards Organisation](http://digistan.org/)
- [OpenStandards.net](http://www.openstandards.net/)
- [List of groups defining Open Standards](http://www.open-std.org/)
- Created on 16 Fevereiro 2024.
- Last updated on 16 Fevereiro 2024.

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