Dow External Idea Submission Portal

Every year The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) receives many ideas from people for our Company's use. We appreciate this interest in Dow and want to thank each person who has taken the time and trouble to get in touch with us. Since Dow has a large scientific and technical staff which is continuously working to improve both our consumer products and our industrial processes and products and also has contracts with many organizations and outside specialists including research laboratories, universities, advertising agencies, and consultants in marketing and technology who generate and develop new ideas for Dow, many of the outside ideas submitted to our Company are already known or available to us.

So that we may consider these submitted ideas without creating misunderstandings, we follow the policies and practices explained in herein.

Please determine if one of these options is acceptable to you. If so, indicate "I ACCEPT", for the one option that is acceptable to continue your submission. Note that if you try to accept both options you will be unable to proceed with your submission.

Gratuitous Submissions

Many submitters send us unpatented ideas and suggestions because they believe their use will benefit the general public. These submitters act out of goodwill and do not expect to be paid for any use of their ideas.

If this is the case with your idea, we want to thank you for your generosity. By accepting here you are confirming that:

This idea is your original idea that you have the right to share with Dow;
Your submission is freely offered to Dow and Dow is free to consider and use it without any future obligation to you for its consideration or use;
Dow is under no obligation to keep this idea confidential; and
Dow does not assume an obligation to return any material submitted, to reveal the details of its review or of its own activities related to the subject matter disclosed by you, or to report reasons should it not be interested in considering your idea further.

If Patent Application Has Been Filed or Patent Issued

A few of our submitters have filed patent applications or have been issued patents covering their ideas. Our Company will accept these ideas for evaluation but submitters must first agree to rely wholly on their patent rights for protection of their ideas.

If this is the case with your idea, please read and indicate that you have read, understood, and accept the following.

My idea has been filed as a patent application or has been issued as a patent. I agree that I am of legal age and free to disclose the idea and that no third party claims any rights to the idea, patent, or patent application. I agree to rely entirely on my patent rights for protection of my idea and that Dow is free, subject to any patent rights I may own, to use my disclosure for whatever purpose it would choose. I do not give Dow any rights under my patents by this submission; however, the consideration of my idea shall not put Dow in a worse position than any other member of the public with respect to any patent I own. Dow is under no obligation to keep this submission confidential. Dow does not assume an obligation to return any material submitted, to reveal the details of its review or of its own activities related to the subject matter disclosed by me, or to report reasons should it not be interested in considering my idea further.