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Commitments and Contingencies | 3 Months Ended
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Mar. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Commitments and Contingencies | 17. Commitments and Contingencies Pending Litigation - Brazil Tax Assessments In connection with our May 1, 2012, acquisition of the Mead C&OP business, we assumed all of the tax liabilities for the acquired foreign operations including ACCO Brazil. For further information, see "Note 10. Income Taxes - Brazil Tax Assessments" for details on tax assessments issued by the FRD against ACCO Brazil challenging the tax deduction of goodwill from ACCO Brazil's taxable income for the years 2007 through 2010. If the FRD's initial position is ultimately sustained, payment of the amount assessed would materially and adversely affect our cash flow in the year of settlement. Brazil Tax Credits In May 2021, the Supreme Court of Brazil issued its final ruling in a leading case related to the computation of certain indirect taxes which provides that the indirect tax base should not include the gross amount of the value-added tax known as “ICMS.” The Supreme Court further ruled that taxpayers can recognize future operating credits ("Tax Credits") for excess indirect tax payments from past periods due to the inclusion of ICMS in the indirect tax base to the extent the taxpayer had filed judicial challenges seeking to recover excess tax payments prior to March 15, 2017 and for any excess tax payments made after March 15, 2017. ACCO Brazil filed legal actions requesting recovery of these excess tax payments by way of future Tax Credits covering various time periods prior to March 15, 2017. All of these cases have been finally decided in a court of law in favor of ACCO Brazil. During the three months ended March 31, 2024, ACCO Brazil completed the necessary administrative steps which allowed it to benefit from additional Tax Credits and record a gain of $1.9 million, which is included in "Other (income) expense, net," on our Consolidated Statements of Loss. The Tax Credits will be utilized against future tax obligations. Indústria Gráfica Foroni Ltda. ("Foroni"), in years prior to its acquisition by ACCO Brazil, also filed a legal action in Brazil to recover these excess indirect tax payments and this legal action has been finalized. Upon the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations, we are required under agreements with the former owners of the Foroni business to remit certain recovered tax credits, less the applicable tax and expenses, to the extent the tax credits relate to a tax period prior to the acquisition date. In September of 2021, the Supreme Court of Brazil issued its final ruling in a leading case which provides that corporate income tax (“IRPJ”) and social contribution on net income (“CSLL”) should not be levied on the Special System of Clearance and Custody (“SELIC”) interest rate received by taxpayers on the refund of overpaid taxes as in our Tax Credits. As of March 31, 2024, ACCO Brazil filed legal actions requesting recovery of these excess tax payments and completed the necessary administrative steps which allowed it to record an income tax benefit of $2.6 million. Other Pending Litigation We are party to various lawsuits and regulatory proceedings, primarily related to alleged patent infringement, as well as other claims incidental to our business. In addition, we may be unaware of third-party claims of intellectual property infringement relating to our technology, brands, or products, and we may face other claims related to business operations. Any litigation regarding patents or other intellectual property could be costly and time-consuming and might require us to pay monetary damages or enter into costly license agreements. We also may be subject to injunctions against development and sale of certain of our products. It is the opinion of management that (other than the Brazil Tax Assessments) the ultimate resolution of currently outstanding matters will not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flow. However, there is no assurance that we will ultimately be successful in our defense of any of these matters or that an adverse outcome in any matter will not affect our results of operations, financial condition or cash flow. Further, future claims, lawsuits and legal proceedings could materially and adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

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