PaperPro(R) Files Patent Suit Against Acco/Swingline(R)

NEWTOWN, Pa., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Accentra Inc., makers of the innovative PaperPro® line of desktop staplers, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Acco Brands Corporation (NYSE: ABD) and Acco Brands USA LLC, manufacturers of Swingline® staplers, alleging infringement of US Patents #7,178,709 and #5,664,722. In dispute are the Swingline PowerEase(TM), Optima(TM) PowerEase and Compact PowerEase models which PaperPro asserts are in violation of its patented technology.

Accentra is widely recognized as having revolutionized stapling in 2004 with the introduction of its patented PaperPro stapler, the first desktop stapler to contain a spring-powered internal mechanism that provides staple gun power to drive staples reliably and efficiently through stacks of paper with the pressure of just one finger.

PaperPro's explosive arrival into this once staid market has resulted in many stapler makers, including Acco, entering into the spring-energized desktop stapler field. PaperPro alleges that these models, the Swingline PowerEase, Optima PowerEase and Compact PowerEase staplers, infringe on Accentra patents. PaperPro is seeking an injunction against continued sales of these products, and compensatory and enhanced damages.

This filing against Acco follows a similar infringement suit filed by Accentra in 2007 against Staples, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS) for its unauthorized sale of staplers sold under the "One Touch" brand. The suit against Staples also includes Accentra's assertion of ownership rights in the "One Touch" brand for staplers. The suit against Staples is expected to go to trial this year.

Now embroiled in legal battles on two fronts, against two of the largest companies in his industry, PaperPro CEO Todd Moses remains undaunted. "Sure, it's vital to our business that we defend our intellectual property," he says. "But vital as well to other inventors and small businesses who also have to contend with the strong-arm tactics of large corporations ... and every day I get calls and emails of support from people -- inside and outside our industry -- who tell me to keep fighting the good fight. And that's what we intend to do."

For additional information about Accentra Inc. or PaperPro® products, please visit www.paperpro.com.

SOURCE PaperPro