Microsoft's effort to have its Office Open XML (OOXML) document format ratified as an international standard by ISO in 2007–2008 was dogged by allegations of vote manipulation. National standards bodies in several countries were suddenly flooded with new Microsoft-aligned members; in Sweden, Microsoft acknowledged that a partner had offered 'marketing incentives' to companies to join and back OOXML, and Sweden voided its vote after irregularities, including a participant voting twice. Critics said Microsoft pressured and packed committees to win approval over the rival OpenDocument format. After an initial rejection and a contentious second ballot, OOXML was approved in 2008, but representatives from multiple countries protested that the process had been inadequate. The affair, during Bill Gates's chairmanship, became a notorious example of standards-body manipulation.