Official Rules : Write your own ticket to PC Forum 2005 Contest
These are the official rules for the Write your own ticket to PC Forum Contest.
Sponsored by: CNET Networks, Inc., 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105 (referred to herein as "CNET" or "Sponsor").
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Submitting an entry constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor and judges which shall be final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest.
The Write your own ticket to PC Forum 2005 Contest (the "Contest") begins at 12:00 pm Pacific Time ("PT") on January 20, 2005 and ends at 5:00 pm PT on February 7, 2005 (the "Entry Period").
1. The Contest is open to legal residents of the 48 continental United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 21 years of age or older as of January 20, 2005. Employees of Sponsor, and its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family members and those living the same household, are not eligible to participate. Void outside the United States and where prohibited by law. Contest subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
2. During the Entry Period, to enter, complete and submit the online entry form located at http://pcforumcontest.news.com. Contest entries will require an essay of 200 words or less answering the question "IT industry analysts (such as Esther Dyson, editor of Release 1.0 and host of PC Forum), venture capitalists and other so-called tech gurus regularly are asked to identify exciting new technologies and trends that will affect businesses. But they don't have all the answers. What IT innovation have the experts underplayed...or even completely missed?" (the "Entry"). All Entries must be written in English. You must submit the Entry no later than 5:00 pm PT on February 7, 2005 in order to be considered eligible. All parts of the Entry must be submitted as described herein or your entire Entry will be void. Entries submitted via any other method will be void. Limit one (1) Entry per person. Multiple Entries will be void. Use of any automated or programmed entry method or any false e-mail account will void all Entries made by that entrant. All Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned.
Entry must be the original work of the entrant and must be exclusively owned by the entrant prior to entry. Entry must not have been submitted in any other competition or previously published. Entry must be in keeping with Sponsor's image and may not be offensive, as determined by judges in their sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade publicity rights or privacy rights of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person?s personal or proprietary rights. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any Entry at any time in the event it is determined that the entrant has not complied with these Official Rules.
3. One winning Entry will be chosen by a panel of qualified judges on or around February 23, 2005 based equally on the following criteria: innovative thinking, writing skills, skill in answering the question. The judges' decisions are final and binding on all matters relating to the Contest.
4. The Prizes to be awarded from the Contest are as follows:
One (1) Grand Prize, which includes:
- Free admission to PC Forum 2005, three nights at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (single or double room accommodations), and 1 adult round-trip airline ticket from a major commercial airport within the continental United States near Grand Prize winner's residence (as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion) to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. (Grand Prize winner must book air transportation through Sponsor?s travel agent. Air transportation provided only if Grand Prize winner does not reside within 80 miles of Phoenix, Arizona).
- One full-year subscription to Release 1.0, starting with the April 2005 issue.
- One CD with transcripts from PC Forum 2005
If Grand Prize winner has already paid admission to PC Forum 2005, Grand Prize winner's paid entry fee will be refunded. If Grand Prize winner is already a subscriber to Release 1.0, the winner's subscription will be extended for one year.
Four (4) Runner-up Prizes, which include:
- One full-year subscription to Release 1.0, starting with the April 2005 issue.
- One CD with transcripts from PC Forum 2005
Twenty (20) Finalist Prizes, which include:
- One CD with transcripts from PC Forum 2005
All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. 1099 tax statements will be filed with the IRS for the any winner whose prize value exceeds $600. Prizes will be awarded "as is" with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsor. Prizes cannot be transferred, substituted or redeemed for cash, except by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.
5. The winner will be notified by mail or telephone. To claim their prize, winners must complete the Affidavit and General Release sent to winner by Sponsor within seven (7) days of attempted notification. If a selected winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible and/or fails to respond to return the Affidavit and General Release within the designated time period, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner may be selected from remaining valid, eligible Entries. In the event of a dispute regarding who submitted an Entry, the Entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail account specified in the Entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. No automatically generated Entries will be accepted. Sponsor is not required to choose a winner.
6. Except where prohibited by law, by entering the Contest, each entrant agrees that Sponsor and its designees may use his or her name and likeness for advertising, promotional and other purposes in any and media now or hereafter known (including the right to post Entry on CNET's website) without further compensation or notification. Neither Sponsor, nor its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, divisions, advertising and promotion agencies, or the respective officers, directors, employees or agents of the forgoing (collectively, the "Released Parties") are responsible for (i) any injury, losses or damages of any kind resulting from participation in this Contest or acceptance, possession or use of the any prize; or (ii) any warranty, representation or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize, including but not limited to its quality, mechanical condition or fitness. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest, and judge entries from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to such action. Released Parties assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Released Parties are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Contest. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, CNET RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
7. By submitting a Entry, each entrant agrees Sponsor shall own the Entry submitted (including all rights embodied therein) and that it and its designees may exploit all elements of such entry in any and all media now known or not currently known (including the right to post Entry on Sponsor's website), without compensation to entrant or any third party and without limitation to time or territory. The Sponsor reserves all rights, including the right to edit, publish, use, adapt, exploit, modify, copy, disseminate, post or dispose of any Entry, online, in print, film, television, or in any other media for advertising and promotional or other purposes without compensation or notification to the entrant of any kind, except as prohibited by law.
8. By entering this Contest, you agree and consent that any information you provide upon entering may be used by Sponsor in accordance with its Privacy Policy, available at http://www.cnet.com/html/aboutcnet/editorial/privacy.html. If you do not want your information used in this manner do not enter this Contest.
9. Winners Names: For the names of the winners, available after March 1, 2005, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: The Write your own ticket to PC Forum Contest Winners Names, CNET Networks, Inc. 235 Second Street, San Francisco, to be received by March 31, 2005.
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