Format specifications address whether documents are produced as images, native files, or both; which metadata fields accompany them; text file delivery; load file format; and how families and attachments are handled.
Under Rule 34, absent agreement, documents are produced as ordinarily maintained or in a reasonably usable form.
Alternative Names:
Form of Production, Production Specification
Why it Matters?
The format determines what the receiving party can actually do with the production. Spreadsheets produced as static images lose formulas and hidden rows, which is a substantive loss rather than an inconvenience. Presentations lose speaker notes and animations. Requesting native production for file types where formatting carries information is a specific ask that should be made in the protocol rather than raised after delivery.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Who chooses the production format?
Which file types should be produced natively?
