One is that the application was filed in reliance of a US patent, US Application Number 187060 and in April the application was rejected in the US. The other grounds cited are prior publication (by AbiWord, for one, and by OpenOffice.org, KWord, and Docbook DTD), prior use, obviousness - by publication, obviousness, not an invention, and insufficiency.

In one of life's funny little coincidences, the solicitor of record is a D. Marriott.

What happens next? I'm told there is another two months for MS to reply to this statement of case, then there is two months to gather evidence, and then another month for New Zealand Open Source Society to reply to Microsoft. Finally there is a hearing, probably in June or July.