Rules
MICROCHIP PIC32 DESIGN CHALLENGE
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
These Official Rules describe the terms and conditions for the Microchip PIC32 Design Challenge described herein (the “Contest”). This Contest is sponsored by Microchip Technology Inc., a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at 2355 West Chandler Boulevard, Chandler, Arizona 85224 (“Microchip”) and is being co- sponsored by United Business Media LLC, a Delaware limited liability company with a place of business at 600 Harrison Street, 6th Floor, San Francisco, CA (“UBM”). Microchip has engaged Digi-Key Corporation, a Minnesota corporation with its principal place of business at 701 Brooks Avenue South, Thief River Falls, MN 56701 (“Digi-Key”) to assist in the distribution of certain tools needed to compete in the Contest, and various other Contest-related matters (including, potentially acting as a judge as described in these Rules). Each of Microchip and UBM will be referred to herein as a “Sponsor” and collectively as “Sponsors.”
CONTEST OVERVIEW
Any individual may enter the Contest (each a “Contestant”) by registering as a “Member” on the contest website located at www.myPIC32.com (the “Contest Website”) and submitting through the Contest Website a paper design for a new product incorporating Microchip’s PIC32 starter kit or the PIC32 USB starter board as further described under “Phase One” below. By entering the Contest, each Contestant agrees to abide by the terms of these Official Rules, the terms of any terms of use, membership agreement, or other policies applicable to “Members” or other users of the Contest Website (collectively, the “Policies”), and by the decisions of the Sponsors and the Judges (as defined below), which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to the Contest. In order to be eligible to compete in the Contest, each Contestant must meet all qualifications set forth in these Official Rules and any Policies. These Official Rules will control over any conflicting provisions in any Policies. Each Contestant’s design must be based on and use the PIC32 starter kit or the PIC32 USB starter board as the main processing building block of the design. The Contest is a “winnowing” process by which the top entries are selected by the Judges to proceed to the next Phase. For example, only the winners of Phase One may continue on to Phase Two, and so on. All necessary materials will be provided by Microchip, as further described below. No purchase is necessary to be a Contestant. The Contest will include four phases:
(1) Phase One: Paper Design Phase – Each Contestant will develop a conceptual design, including an abstract, title, and block diagram, and upload these elements of the design to the Contest Website. The Paper Design Phase is open to new Contestants from April 15, 2008 (the “Start Date”) until July 15, 2008 at 8 a.m. EDT (the “Entry Deadline”). A maximum of 128 Contestants from this Phase will be chosen by the Judges and announced on or about July 25, 2008.
(2) Phase Two: Hardware Design Phase – A maximum of 128 Contestants from the Paper Design Phase will enter the Hardware Design Phase. During the Hardware Design Phase, each Contestant will develop the hardware component of the Contestant’s design in prototype form, with an accompanying bill-of-materials, schematics, short video showing the design, simple software demonstrating basic hardware functionality, and other design related material specified by the Sponsors, all which must be uploaded by the Contestants to the Contest Website before the entries are frozen on October 13, 2008 at 8 a.m. EDT. A maximum of 32 Contestants from this Phase will be chosen by the Judges, with input from a vote of the “Members” of the Contest Website (each a “Member”) in the manner described on the Contest Website, and announced on or about October 29, 2008.
(3) Phase Three: Software Design Phase – A maximum of 32 Contestants from the Hardware Design Phase will enter the Software Design Phase. During the Software Design Phase, each remaining Contestant will develop the software for his or her design to a high degree of functionality, fix any hardware issues with the design, and add minor hardware enhancements to the design. As in prior phases, the Contestant must upload these new elements of the design to the Contest Website prior to January 26, 2009 at 8 a.m. EDT when the entries are frozen for the judging of this Phase. A maximum of 8 Contestants from this Phase will be chosen by the Judges, with input from a vote of the Members in the manner described on the Contest Website, and announced on or about February 11, 2009.
(4) Phase Four: Final Prototype Phase – A maximum of 8 Contestants from the Software Design Phase will enter the Final Prototype Phase. During this last Phase, each remaining Contestant will polish his or her design and source code and continue to upload changes and updates to the Contest Website on or before all entries are frozen on March 16, 2009 at 8 a.m. EDT. A maximum of 5 Contestants (each a “Finalist”) will be determined by a vote of the Members in the manner described on the Contest Website. The Finalists will be announced on or about March 17, 2009. Each Finalist must attend the UBM Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, California on or about March 31 – April 3, 2009 (the “2009 ES Conference”), where the Judges, with input from a vote of the Members in the manner described on the Contest Website, will vote for the winners of the Grand Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize based on a live demonstration of the Finalists’ designs. The three winners will be announced on or about April 1, 2009 at the 2009 ES Conference.
Additional information on each Phase of the Contest is provided on the Contest Website. All designs, drawings, hardware, software, bills of materials, videos, prototypes, materials and other information submitted by Contestants in connection with the Contest will hereinafter be referred to as “Contest Materials.”
HOW TO ENTER
Before entering Phase One, all Contestants must use the online Contest registration form available on the Contest Website to register for this Contest prior to the Entry Deadline. Each Contestant must submit a completed registration form before submitting any other Contest Materials. All registration forms and all other Contest Materials must be in the English language only or must be accompanied by an accurate English translation. Sponsors will not be responsible for, and may reject in their sole and absolute discretion, any misdirected, incomplete, illegible, garbled, corrupt, late, lost, ineligible, or non-conforming registration forms or other Contest Materials or any forms or other Contest Materials that have been tampered with by any person. Proof of transmission of any forms or other Contest Materials shall not constitute proof of receipt.
Entries made on the Contest Website will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. In the event of a dispute, any Contestant may be required to provide proof that he or she is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the entry associated with that e- mail address. It is each Contestant’s responsibility to keep Sponsors informed of any changes to Contestant’s contact or other information during the Contest. Contestants must not include any personal identification or corporate affiliation markings on ANY Contest Materials. The Contestant’s name, address and corporate affiliation (if any) should appear ONLY ON THE REGISTRATION FORM.
RULES FOR ELIGIBILITY
The Contest is open to natural persons who are legal residents of any country where the Contest is not prohibited or otherwise restricted by applicable law, who are 18 years or older at the time of entry, who have internet access prior to the Start Date, and who register as Members of the Contest Website prior to entry. Contestants must participate as individuals, not as corporations, limited liability companies, or other entities. The Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. Officers, directors, and employees of the Sponsors or Digi-Key or any third party company designated by Microchip to assist in contest- related duties, their respective parents, subsidiaries, or affiliates, and their respective advertising, promotion, and production agencies or other agents, as well as members of their immediate families (including spouse, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, step-children, step-parents and in-laws) or those with whom they reside, are ineligible to enter the Contest.
Anyone who is a resident of a country, province or state where the Contest is prohibited, taxed, subject to registration or bonding, subject to disclosure requirements (including without limitation requirements that these Official Rules or other Contest materials be published in a language other than English) or otherwise restricted under national, federal, provincial, state or local statutes, rules, orders, regulations, or other laws, including without limitation residents of Puerto Rico and Quebec, Canada, is ineligible to enter the Contest. The Sponsors expressly disclaim any responsibility or liability for any Contestant who enters in violation of these Official Rules or any Policies. By entering this Contest, each Contestant agrees to waive any additional rights granted with respect to contests by the country, state, or province in which he or she is domiciled. A maximum of one entry into Phase One per person is permitted. The Contestants for each subsequent Phase will be chosen from the pool of Contestants in the prior Phase. THE SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REJECT OR DISQUALIFY ANY PERSON IF, IN THE SOLE AND ABSOLUTE DISCRETION OF THE SPONSORS, (I) THE PERSON’S PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST IS OR MAY BE PROHIBITED OR OTHERWISE RESTRICTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, (II) THE PERSON FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THESE OFFICIAL RULES, ANY POLICIES, OR ANY LAWS IN ANY RESPECT; OR (III) THE PERSON TAMPERS WITH THE ENTRY PROCESS, THE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST, THE CONTEST WEBSITE, OR THE 2009 ES CONFERENCE, OR OTHERWISE ACTS IN AN UNSPORTING OR DISRUPTIVE MANNER OR WITH INTENT TO ANNOY OR HARASS ANY PERSON. SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. IF AN ENTRY THAT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE RECEIVED A PRIZE OR COMPONENT IS REJECTED OR DISQUALIFIED, THE SPONSORS MAY, BUT ARE NOT REQUIRED TO, SELECT AN ALTERNATE WINNING ENTRY FROM THE REMAINING ENTRIES.
SELECTION PROCESS
The judges for the Contest will consist of a three (3) member panel of individuals: one (1) will be an editor of UBM, selected by UBM in its sole and absolute discretion; one (1) will be a representative of Microchip, selected by Microchip in its sole and absolute discretion; and one (1) will be a representative of a third party company selected by Microchip in its sole and absolute discretion (collectively, the “Judges”).
The Contest is a “winnowing” process by which the top entries in each Phase are selected by the Judges, in some cases with input from votes of the Members as described below, to proceed to the next phase: a maximum of one-hundred twenty eight (128) Contestants will proceed to Phase Two; of those, up to thirty-two (32) Contestants will proceed to Phase Three; and, of those, up to eight (8) Contestants will proceed to Phase Four, in which up to five (5) of those Contestants will be chosen as Finalists. There will be three (3) winners chosen from the pool of Finalists: one (1) Grand Prize winner, one (1) Second Prize winner, and one (1) Third Prize winner.
Contest winners will be selected based on skill, not randomly. The following factors will be used by the Judges and voted on by the Members (to the extent described in these Official Rules and on the Contest Website) to determine winners, with each factor given substantially equal weight: creativity, design efficiency, usefulness, and technical complexity. In Phase One, all decisions will be made by the Judges; there will be no vote of the Members. In Phase Two, the Judges’ scores for each design will constitute sixty percent (60%) of the total score for that design and the vote of the Members will constitute the remaining forty percent (40%). In Phase Three, the Judges’ scores for each design will constitute fifty percent (50%) and the vote of the Members will constitute the remaining fifty percent (50%). In Phase Four, the five (5) Finalists will be chosen entirely by a vote of the Members, and the scores used to determine the Grand Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize winners will be calculated so that the Judges’ scores for each Finalist’s design constitute forty percent (40%) of the total score for that design and the vote of the Members will constitute the remaining sixty percent (60%). In the event of a tie during any Phase of the Contest, the Sponsors will make the final decision, in their sole and absolute discretion, using one or more of the selection criteria set forth above.
The Judges may request additional information from any of the Contestants prior to making a determination. The winners of each Phase and of the Contest will be notified by mail, e-mail, and/or telephone in the sole discretion of the Sponsors.
PRIZES Grand Prize - A 57" 1080p LCD TV and Bose® Lifestyle® V20 home theater system (Estimated Retail Value: $8,000).
Second Prize - MacBook Air Laptop (Estimated Retail Value: $3400).
Third Prize - Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite Console and a 37" 720p LCD TV (Estimated Retail Value: $1450).
Total Estimated Retail Value of All Prizes: $ 12,850
USE OF ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS
Each of the one-hundred twenty eight (128) Contestants proceeding to Phase Two will receive from Microchip, free of charge, at least the following items (Estimated Retail Value: $200.00):
• Microchip PIC32 Starter Kit (DM320001)
• PIC32 I/O Expansion Board (DM320002)
• PICTail™ Plus Prototyping Board, 3-pack (AC164126)
• PIC16F886
• PIC18F25K20
• 25LC256-I/SN
• Web Cam for creation of web-video content
Each of the thirty-two (32) Contestants who are selected to advance to Phase Three will receive from Microchip, free of charge, at least the following items (Estimated Retail Value: $1,700.00):
• MPLAB® C32 C Compiler Full Edition (SW006015)
• MPLAB® Real ICE™ (DV244005)
• MPLAB® Real ICE™ Trace Kit (AC244006)
Each of the eight (8) Contestants who are selected to advance to Phase Four will receive from Microchip, free of charge, at least an Intronix 34 Channel LA1034 Logicport Logic Analyzer (Estimated Retail Value: $389.00).
Contestants may, but are not required to, purchase additional hardware components for use in their designs. All hardware components used in the design must be specified in the bill of materials required to be submitted by each Contestant as part of the Contest Materials. All computing elements of the design must be Microchip PIC MCU/DSC components. Components used in the design need not be purchased from Digi-Key, however all such components must be ones listed in the Digi- Key online catalog at its website at www.digikey.com at some point during the period of the Contest. The total value of the components in the bill of materials prepared by each Contestant must not exceed $400.00 in value*, as calculated using the 1-piece pricing for the components published on the Digi-Key website as of the date the bill of materials is submitted by such Contestant to Sponsors.
*Clarification added 05/09/2008: Although "hardware components" means electrical and electronic components usually assembled on a Printed Circuit, Wire Wrap or Prototyping board, the $400 BOM cost limit does not include this board or any cabinet. Nothing in the PIC32 Starter Kit or PIC32 USB Starter Board, I/O Expansion Board or Prototyping board counts towards the BOM cost limit except for any hardware components on those boards that the Contestant uses in his or her design.
TRAVEL TO 2009 EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE
Microchip will cover the costs of conference registration for up to five (5) Finalists to attend the 2009 ES Conference. In addition, Microchip will arrange for travel to, and accommodations at, the 2009 ES Conference for each Finalist, including coach class fare for air, rail, or bus transportation for one (1) person and three (3) nights hotel accommodations. Microchip will make all reservations in its sole and absolute discretion. Each Finalist will be entirely responsible for the amount, if any, by which the aggregate cost of conference registration, travel, and accommodations for any Finalist exceeds Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00). Each Finalist must be in sufficient physical and mental condition for safe travel to, and participation in, the 2009 ES Conference and must be able to travel on the dates specified by Microchip. If, for any reason, a Finalist is not in sufficient condition or cannot pay any amounts required for travel, the Finalist may appoint a proxy to travel to and participate in the 2009 ES Conference or forfeit his or her status as a Finalist. Sponsors will not pay, and will not be responsible for, any other costs or expenses of any Finalists in connection with attending the 2009 ES Conference, including but not limited to any costs of ground transfers, meals, passports, visas, or other travel or accommodations other than as specified above. Sponsors are not responsible for delays, cancellations, or other problems with travel or accommodations resulting from any carriers, hotels, travel agents, weather, fires, strikes, bankruptcies, governmental actions, wars, terrorism, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of Sponsors.
Any other Contestants who want to attend the 2009 ES Conference will be responsible for their own expenses, costs of travel, meals, accommodations, registration, and equipment in connection with the Conference, if they choose to attend.
ACCEPTANCE OF PRIZES
In the event of unavailability of a stated prize or component, Sponsors reserve the right to substitute cash or items of comparable or greater value. Prizes are not transferable, exchangeable, or redeemable by winners for cash. All monetary amounts in these Official Rules are indicated in United States dollars and all monetary prizes will be awarded in the form of checks or money orders in United States dollars.
All taxes, fees, duties, levies, withholdings, insurance, shipping, and other charges imposed by third parties, including but not limited to national, federal, state, provincial, and local income or VAT taxes, applicable to any prizes, components, or travel awarded or provided by Sponsors or otherwise arising out of the Contest are the sole responsibility of the applicable Contestant. Each Contestant receiving any prizes or components (including but not limited to travel and accommodations) may be required to provide Sponsors with his or her social security number or taxpayer identification number for tax purposes. Contestants must take possession of any prizes or components in the manner directed by Sponsors or Digi-Key. Failure to respond to any notification by Sponsors that a Contestant is eligible to compete in the next Phase or win a prize, or failure to provide any information or documents requested by Sponsors or Digi-Key in the timeframe specified by Sponsors or Digi-Key may result in disqualification and possible selection of alternate winners or entrants into the next Phase of the Contest, as applicable.
To the extent permitted by law, each Contestant may be required to sign and return a declaration of eligibility and release of liability upon request by the Sponsors. Each Contestant will provide the declaration and release within seven (7) days of Sponsors’ request for such declaration and release. The declaration and release may include the Contestant’s confirmation of permission (without further compensation) to use the Contestant’s name, photograph, voice, likeness, logo (if any), state of residence, biographical material, for advertising, promotion, and marketing purposes, and for administration of the Contest, including but not limited to mention on the Sponsors’ websites, and to the exploitation of the Contestant’s design and other Contest Materials for any purpose. (Tennessee residents need not complete and return a publicity release to the extent prohibited by law.)
ALL PRIZES AND COMPONENTS (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATIONS) WILL BE GIVEN AWAY BY SPONSORS AND DIGI-KEY “AS IS.” SPONSORS AND DIGI-KEY DO NOT MAKE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM, ANY WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY, REGARDING ANY PRIZE, COMPONENTS, TRAVEL, OR ACCOMMODATIONS, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SPONSORS AND DIGI-KEY DISCLAIM ALL EQUITABLE INDEMNITIES.
RIGHTS IN CONTEST MATERIALS; RELEASE
By entering the Contest, each of the Contestants selected by the Judges to advance to Phase Two hereby grant to each of the Sponsors a non exclusive, perpetual, royalty-free, fully-paid up, irrevocable, sublicensable (through multiple tiers), assignable, worldwide right and license in and to his or her Contest Materials, including but not limited to all inventions described therein, all works of authorship contained therein, and all intellectual property rights relating thereto, to make, have made, use, modify, reformat, copy, reproduce, display, perform, publish, publicly disseminate, and otherwise exploit his or her Contest Materials for any purpose. For the avoidance of doubt, the license granted herein includes the right of each Sponsor to sublicense its rights in the submission to its customers, end users, or any other third party.
By entering, each Contestant releases and holds harmless the Sponsors, Digi-Key, the prize manufacturers, any other entities involved in the administration of the Contest, each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, and agents (collectively, the “Sponsor Parties”), from any and all responsibility, damages (including without limitation direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, and statutory damages), penalties, costs, liabilities, and losses of any kind arising out of or relating to: (i) participation in the Contest; (ii) any violation by the Contestant of these Official Rules, any Policies, or any laws; (iii) any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, right of publicity, or other intellectual property misappropriation or infringement attributable to Contestant, his or her design, or any other Contest Materials submitted by Contestant; (iv) the acceptance, possession, receipt, or use of any prizes or components, or any item purchased with any prizes, awarded or provided by any of the Sponsor Parties in the Contest; (v) any problems (including but not limited to errors, omissions, interruptions, defects, or delays in operation or transmission) of any computer, telephone, modem, cable, satellite, network, hardware, online system, server, software, or other equipment or provider); (vi) any Internet traffic congestion or website accessibility issues; (vii) delays, cancellations, or other problems with travel or accommodations resulting from any carriers, hotels, travel agents, weather, fires, strikes, bankruptcies, governmental actions, wars, terrorism, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of the Sponsor Parties; (viii) printing or typographical errors in any Contest-related materials; or (ix) any other technical or human error that may occur in connection with the Contest (the “Causes”). Without limiting the foregoing, the Sponsor Parties are not responsible for any injury or damage to Contestants or any other person’s computer related to, or resulting from participation in, or downloading any material in connection with, the Contest. If anyone makes any claim against any of the Sponsor Parties arising out of or relating to any of the Causes attributable to a Contestant, such Contestant will pay for any damages, penalties, costs, liabilities, and losses, including without limitation attorneys’ and experts’ fees and costs, incurred by any of the Sponsor Parties in connection with such claim.
DATA PRIVACY
Each Contestant consents to the use by or for each of the Sponsors and Digi-Key of his or her name, photograph, voice, likeness, logo (if any), state of residence, and biographical material for advertising and/or promotional and/or marketing purposes and for administration of the Contest, in each case without additional compensation, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. Each Contestant agrees that personal data (including but not limited to name and address) and Contest Materials may be processed, stored and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Contest and for any other purposes outlined in these Official Rules and any Policies. The Sponsors may also use the data to check Contestants’ identity, their postal addresses and telephone numbers, or to otherwise verify their eligibility to participate in the Contest. Each Contestant has a right to limit access to any of his or her personal data held by the Sponsors or Digi-Key by notifying the Sponsors in writing at the addresses listed above. However, any such limitations may make that Contestant ineligible for the Contest. Except as set forth herein, each Sponsor will treat any personal data submitted by a Contestant in the manner described by such Sponsor’s privacy policy. For more information about UBM’s privacy policy, please visit: http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/ubm/sitetools/privacy/ . For more information about Microchip’s privacy policy, please visit: http://www.microchip.com/stellent/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=491 . Requests for removal from a Sponsor’s mailing list may be made in the manner set forth in the Sponsor’s privacy policy or as otherwise indicated in communications from the Sponsor.
REPRESENTATIONS
By entering the Contest, each individual submitting Contest Materials represents and warrants to the Sponsors that:
• such individual is the person identified on the Contest registration form;
• the individual and the Contest Materials fully comply with all eligibility requirements and all other provisions of these Official Rules and any Policies;
• in preparing Contest Materials and entering and participating in the Contest, the individual has complied and will comply in all respects with all applicable statutes, regulations, rules, orders, or other laws and has not violated, and will not violate, any agreement or understanding by which it is bound, including any confidentiality, employment, consulting, intellectual property assignment or license agreement;
• that the individual is not bound by any intellectual property agreement or any other agreement or obligation, with an employer, co- owner or otherwise, that prohibits, limits or affects: (a) the individual’s ownership of the Contest Materials; (b) the individual’s right to submit the Contest Materials to the Sponsors; or (c) Sponsors’ license rights in the Contest Materials and in such individual’s Contestant’s name, photograph, voice, likeness, logo, and biographical information as set forth herein;
• the Contest Materials are unpublished and consist entirely of the individual’s own original work or of work to which such individual has all necessary rights; and
• neither the Contest Materials nor the exploitation of the Contest Materials as provided herein will infringe or misappropriate any intellectual property, rights of publicity, or other proprietary rights of any person or entity.
TERMINATION
The Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest in their sole and absolute discretion if the Contest becomes technically corrupted or is not capable of being run as planned, including, but not limited to, as a result of infections by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsors that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest. In such event, the Sponsors will post notice at the Contest Website and will implement an alternate means for awarding all prizes.
NO ENDORSEMENT
Nothing contained in these Official Rules or any other Contest-related materials is or shall be construed as an endorsement by Sponsors or Digi-Key of each other, the prize manufacturers, or any other third party, product, or service.
MISCELLANEOUS
If any part of these Official Rules is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or otherwise unenforceable, such part will be deemed modified or eliminated to the extent necessary, in the court’s opinion, to make it enforceable while preserving the original intent of the Sponsors, and the remaining parts of these Official Rules will remain in full force and effect. The Contest will be governed by, and these Official Rules will be interpreted by, and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of California and applicable United States federal law exclusively, without regard to any conflicts of laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Official Rules, the Contest or any prize must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco, California, and the Sponsors and each Contestant irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of such courts and waive any objection to such courts on any basis, including but not limited to jurisdiction, venue, or inconvenience of the forum.
WINNERS LIST
For the name of the prize winners, available after April 15, 2009, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:
Microchip PIC32 Design Challenge
United Business Media LLC
600 Harrison Street, 6th Floor
San Francisco, California
Attention: Patti Sellman
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ONLY
These Official Rules, all Contest Materials, and all other Contest- related documents are and will be in the English language only, and all proceedings relating to the Contest will be conducted in the English language only. Each Contestant hereby confirms his or her express wish that these documents be written in, and these proceedings be conducted in, the English language.
© 2008 United Business Media LLC. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC. WEEKLY CONTEST GIVEAWAY OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE THE CHANCES OF WINNING.
VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
HOW TO ENTER:
The Weekly Contest Giveaway (the “Weekly Giveaway”) operates on a week- by-week basis, with each weekly period starting Friday 8:00 a.m. EDT and ending the following Friday 8:00 a.m. EDT (the “Weekly Period”), with the first Weekly Period beginning Friday April 18, 2008 and the last Weekly Period ending March 27, 2009. A community member will automatically be entered into a given week’s random drawing and become a “participant” if he or she meets the eligibility requirements set forth in the “Eligibility” section below. Each week’s drawing is independent from every other week’s drawing, and community members must requalify each week to be automatically entered into the drawing for that week.
NOTIFICATION:
After each Weekly Period, the “Prizewinners” for that Weekly Period will be determined by a random drawing from all qualifying entries timely submitted. The Prizewinners will win the prizes specified on the www.myPIC32.com website (the “Website”) during that Weekly Period. The Prizewinners will be notified by mail, email and/or telephone within a week of the drawing. The Weekly Giveaway is sponsored by Microchip Technology Inc., 2355 West Chandler Boulevard, Chandler, Arizona 85224, and United Business Media LLC, 600 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 (the “Sponsors”). All decisions by the Sponsors relating to the Weekly Giveaway will be final and binding on the participants.
PRIZES AND NUMBER OF WEEKLY PRIZES AND PRIZE WINNERS:
The nature and number of prizes and number of potential Prizewinners for each week will be published on the Website. As an illustrative example, in a given Weekly Period there may be 5 USB Storage Drives to be won by 5 participants, and in another Weekly Period, 15 vouchers for technical training may be won by 15 participants. Each participant will be limited to one prize per drawing, but a Prizewinner in one Weekly Period drawing may also win a prize in any other Weekly Period drawing for which he or she timely submits an entry.
The approximate value of all prizes to be awarded during the Weekly Giveaway will be $12,000 US Dollars, averaging approximately $245 total value per Weekly Period. Some Weekly Periods may have a higher total prize value and other weeks may have a lower total prize value. The specific value per prize and per Prizewinner will vary according to the number and nature of the prizes for that Weekly Period.
If any prize is unavailable for any reason, the Sponsors reserve the right to substitute a prize of comparable or greater value. Prizes are not transferable, exchangeable or redeemable for cash. All taxes will be the sole responsibility of the Prizewinner.
If a participant fails to meet any Weekly Giveaway requirement, as determined in the sole and absolute discretion of the Sponsors, an alternate entry may be selected to win the prize.
ELIGIBILITY:
The Weekly Giveaway is void where prohibited or otherwise restricted by law. The Weekly Giveaway is open to “participants”, each of whom is a legal residents of the United States (excluding Puerto Rico) and Canada (excluding Quebec), who: (i) is 18 years of age or older; (ii) is registered on the Website as a community member; and (iii) meets the minimum Website activity requirements in that Weekly Period. The minimum Website activity requirement for each Weekly Period consists of logging into the Website and viewing 2 or more designs on myPIC32 pages during the Weekly Period.
Employees of the Sponsors and Digi-Key Corporation and/or their affiliates and members of their immediate families (including spouse, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, step-children, step- parents and in-laws) or those with whom they reside are not eligible. In addition, in order to win a prize, residents of Canada may be required to answer correctly a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question to be administered via telephone.
One entry on the Website per person, e-mail address or household is permitted per Weekly Period. The odds of winning are determined by the total number of eligible entries received and the number of prizes being given away per Weekly Period. No purchase is necessary to enter or win, and a purchase will not improve one’s chances of winning. The use of any automated devices in connection with the Weekly Giveaway is prohibited. All entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. In the event of a dispute, the potential Prizewinner may be required to provide proof that he or she is the authorized account holder of the e- mail address associated with the potentially winning entry.
By entering, each participant (i) releases the Sponsors and their respective officers, employees, directors, agents and affiliates from any claims, damages or liabilities arising out of the use of any prize awarded to the participant, (ii) agrees to be bound by these rules, and (iii) consents to the use of his or her name and likeness for advertising and/or promotional and/or marketing purposes without additional compensation (each Tennessee resident consents to the use of his or her name and likeness only if such Tennessee resident expressly consents to such use). The Sponsors are not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry of information including, but not limited to, technical malfunctions, human error, lost/delayed data transmission, omissions, interruptions, deletions, defects, line failures of any telephone network, computer equipment, software or any combination thereof or entry materials that have been tampered with. The Sponsors are not responsible for any injury or damage to participants’ or any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any material in this promotion. Entries that have been tampered with or altered are void. The Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Weekly Giveaway if it becomes technically corrupted or if for any reason the internet portion of the Weekly Giveaway is not capable of running as planned, including infections by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsors, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this promotion.
MISCELLANEOUS
If any part of these Official Rules is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or otherwise unenforceable, such part will be deemed modified or eliminated to the extent necessary, in the court’s opinion, to make it enforceable while preserving the original intent of the Sponsors, and the remaining parts of these Official Rules will remain in full force and effect. The Contest will be governed by, and these Official Rules will be interpreted by, and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of California and applicable United States federal law exclusively, without regard to any conflicts of laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Official Rules, the Contest or any prize must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco, California and the Sponsors and each Contestant irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of such courts and waive any objection to such courts on any basis, including but not limited to jurisdiction, venue, or inconvenience of the forum.
For the names of all of the prizewinners, which will be available after April 15, 2009, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:
TechInsights, a division of United Business Media LLC
600 Harrison Street,
San Francisco, CA 94107
Attention: Christian Fahlen
