Collaborative documentation projects on why use public standards and open formats and why avoid proprietary formats in data exchange.

Explains the risks of exchanging data in non-public format and suggests the main alternatives.

What is a standard, what is an open standard, and why use open standards on the Internet.

A not-for-profit organization connecting people to open standards and the bodies that build and foster their growth.

Essay by Erik Fair explaining how open standards may help mitigate or prevent "customer lock-in" strategies.

Argues in favor of patent-free standards and suggests recommended formats for different kinds of content.

Draws a distinction between open source advocacies and the promotion of public standards, warning against the confusion of these two initiatives.

Article on formats interoperability in audio and video content.

Internet technologies and the economical challenge of open protocols.

Benefits of the development of open specifications for audio and video formats. By Rich Mavrogeanes.