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Update file-formats.md #354

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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion guide/en/appendices/file-formats.md
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Expand Up @@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Typically, it would be most appropriate to use tables in HTML documents to hold

Even if information is provided in electronic, machine-readable format, and in detail, there may be issues relating to the format of the file itself.

The formats in which information is published – in other words, the digital base in which the information is stored - can either be "open" or "closed". An open format is one where the specifications for the software are available to anyone, free of charge, so that anyone can use these specifications in their own software without any limitations on re-use imposed by intellectual property rights.
The formats in which information is published – in other words, the digital base in which the information is stored - can either be "open" or "closed". An open format is one where the specifications are available to anyone, free of charge, so that anyone can use these specifications in their own software without any limitations on re-use imposed by intellectual property rights.

If a file format is "closed", this may be either because the file format is proprietary and the specification is not publicly available, or because the file format is proprietary and even though the specification has been made public, re-use is limited. If information is released in a closed file format, this can cause significant obstacles to reusing the information encoded in it, forcing those who wish to use the information to buy the necessary software.

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