The state of Paraná, here in Brazil, is the first to have laws that specifically promotes the use of OpenDocument Format. This is a free translation of such law:

1. All public companies and institutions under the state of Paraná administration will adopt, preferably, open formats for creation, storage and public availability of digital documents.
2. We understand open formats as the ones that:
   1. promote interoperability between multiple applications and platforms, internal and externally;
   2. let users chose applications free from royalties;
   3. can be freely and independently implemented by multiple computer software vendors, in multiple platforms, without any charge for the intellectual property of the technology.
3. The companies cited in point 1 must be enabled for receiving, publishing, visualization and preservation of digital documents in open formats according to norm ISO/IEC 26300:2600 (OpenDocument format - ODF).

This law was signed by Roberto Requião, the state gorvernor, and Nizan Pereira Almeida, secretary for strategic initiatives.

Other states in Brazil, inspired by Paraná, are creating similar laws.

The folks in the photo, left to right, are: Henrique Menezes, government relations, IBM. Jomar Silva, ODF Alliance chapter Brazil. State congressman Edson Praczyk. Vitorio Furusho, Celepar (a state public company), BrOffice.org users group and Open Source Movement in Paraná. Reginaldo Radel, congressman Prazyk assistent.