Redistrubution of omml2mml.xsl from MS Office

Question

MS Office contains file omml2mml.xsl. I want to use and redistribute it. Is it legal? What is correct way to disclose the dependency?

I discovered that the file presents in many github project without any notice.

Upon checking the same, could find that omml2mml.xsl file is actually coming from open source project XSL stylesheets for TEI XML. So, I guess it will be fine if I include & redistribute it for commercial use.

Found another support thread asking similar query but both the links in the answer have been removed eventually rendering the answer unknown. Can anyone pls provide me definite & concrete conclusion for the same.

Another support thread in which links to the answer are removed:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/redistrubution-of-omml2mmlxsl-from-ms-office/8d036ba2-886d-4064-b296-5b1752d3014b

Answer 1

Hi, The Office Math Markup Language (OMML) to MathML converter file, omml2mml.xsl, is a part of Microsoft Office and is taken from an open-source project named "XSL stylesheets for TEI XML" given by the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI). For this reason, using and redistributing the omml2mml.xsl file for commercial reasons is typically seen as acceptable as long as you abide by the conditions of the open-source licence that is used to distribute it.

The TEI Consortium Licence or a comparable open-source licence is most likely used to distribute its stylesheets. These licences usually allow users to use, alter, and distribute the software as long as they follow specific guidelines, like keeping copyright notices and giving proper credit.

You should add a note or documentation stating that the file is derived from the TEI XSL stylesheets and provide a link to the original source in order to disclose the dependency on the omml2mml.xsl file in your project. This guarantees openness and gives credit to the TEI community for its contributions to the stylesheet's creation.

Regarding the particular support threads you referenced, the responses' links have been taken down, which makes it challenging to confirm the data presented. However, given the nature of the omml2mml.xsl file and the fact that it came from an open-source project, it is safe to presume that, as long as you abide by the conditions of the open-source licence, you can use and redistribute it for commercial purposes.

BEst Regards, Saurabh