Who Is ACCO Brands?
If you have touched a Five Star® notebook, a Swingline® stapler, a Quartet® dry erase board, a Kensington® computer mouse or a simple box of ACCO® paper clips, you have touched part of ACCO Brands Corporation, one of the world's largest suppliers of branded school, office and consumer products and print finishing solutions. We have great brands that people in 100 countries all over the world use to stay organized, such as:
AT-A-GLANCE® Day-Timer® Five Star® GBC® Kensington® Mead® Quartet® Swingline® Wilson Jones® and others.
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HOW DO I SUBMIT MY INNOVATION IDEA?
The process is simple. Fill out our 5-step form and track your progress as you proceed. You will be asked to provide contact information, agree to the Idea Submission Agreement, summarize your idea at a high level, sell us on your idea with details (an elevator speech, focusing on the strongest part of your idea), add in diagrams or photos, and then submit it. Be sure to take the opportunity to provide a more detailed description describing the problem(s) your idea solves and its unique features and benefits. Visuals are worth a 1000 words, so we’d love to see some if you have them.
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DO I HAVE TO BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD TO SUBMIT AN IDEA?
Yes, it’s essential that you be old enough (legally) to agree to the required terms, but we know that great ideas can come from any age. If you are under 18, have your parents or legal guardian submit it on your behalf. Submissions from anyone under the age of 18 cannot be accepted.
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WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD MY SUBMISSION INCLUDE?
Here’s what you should be prepared to provide:
Contact information – We will need to follow up with you.
Agreement - You will be required to review and accept our Idea Submission Agreement. It is important to understand that ACCO Brands only accepts non-confidential information for its initial review of your submission. After reviewing the submission, if we decide we want to know more, we will contact you to discuss how to proceed and we will discuss any needed agreements.
You will not be able to proceed without checking the “I Agree” checkbox when entering your submission.
Details about the idea – We need an elevator pitch summary and details around features and benefits. This should provide a good non-confidential overview of the proposed solution. Your submission needs to provide an outline of the innovation idea, and then describe how it works in general terms and the benefits to the consumer. Of course, the more detailed information that you can provide, the better.
Patent Information - If you have a published or granted patent, that will normally be enough description to get us started; you can simply provide us with the patent publication.
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IS ONLY NON-CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ACCEPTED?
Yes. When submitting your idea, please send only non-confidential information.
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DO I NEED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION (Patents applied for or filed)?
We would love it if your idea is already protected by a granted patent. Please note that ACCO Brands will not provide legal advice to you in connection with your submission. It would be best if you contacted an Intellectual Property lawyer prior to submission.
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WILL ACCO BRANDS SIGN A NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT BEFORE I SHARE MY INNOVATION IDEA?
No, ACCO Brands will only accept non-confidential information for its initial review of your submission. After we have looked at the submission and if we decide we want to know more, at that point we will contact you to discuss how to proceed and any needed agreements.
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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I SUBMIT MY IDEA?
Once you press enter for your “Submission Form,” you will receive an email confirming your submission has been received.
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CAN I ARRANGE TO PRESENT MY INNOVATION IN PERSON?
We cannot accommodate in-person pitches. Our initial review is based wholly on the non-confidential information you provide in your open innovation submission.
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WHY DOES ACCO BRANDS ASK FOR PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH MY INNOVATION IDEA SUBMISSION? WHAT WILL THEY DO WITH IT?
ACCO Brands needs the personal information if we choose to get in touch with you about your submission.
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