The Legal Stuff!

The EverQuest II Guild Halls Interior Decorating Contest
OFFICIAL RULES
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.


Participation constitutes entrant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. The EverQuest II Guild Halls Interior Decorating contest ("Contest") begins at 12:00:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time ("PST") on October 7, 2008, and ends at 11:59 p.m. PST on October 31, 2008 ("Contest Period"). Contest is sponsored by Sony Online Entertainment LLC, 8928 Terman Court, San Diego, CA 92121 ("Sponsor"). Submissions received after Contest Period are void and will not be judged. Winners will be announced on or about November 7, 2008.
Eligibility: The Contest is open only to natural persons who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia) for the duration of the Contest. Void in Puerto Rico, Guam, all other U.S. and all foreign territories and possessions and wherever prohibited or restricted by law. The Contest may only be entered from and in eligible jurisdictions. Entrants must be eighteen (18) years of age or older at time of entry in order to participate. Employees, officers, directors, and agents of Sponsor, its parent company, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion, and fulfillment agencies, their immediate family members and persons living in their same household, are not eligible to participate in the Contest.  All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.

How to Enter: To enter, send three (3) in-game screenshots (collectively, "Screenshots"), in .jpg format, of the EverQuest II Guild Hall that you personally decorated, along with a two to three paragraph story of the history of your guild, and why Guild Halls are so important to you ("Essay") to eq2contest@soe.sony.com. All entries must contain "Guild Hall Interior Decorating Contest" in the e-mail subject line, and e-mails should contain your name, mailing address (including street address, apartment number (if any), city, state and zip code; no P.O. Box will be accepted), e-mail address, Station name, server name, and EverQuest II character name. Additionally, please update your Station Account to reflect your current contact information in the event that you are chosen as a potential finalist. Contest is limited to one (1) entry consisting of Screenshots and Essay per person. Subsequent entries and entries that do not include Screenshots and Essay will be void. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any person or e-mail address that submits multiple entries, or Screenshots that have been graphically altered or manipulated in any way, other than for resizing purposes. Any submission of robotic, automatic, or programmed entries, or any entries submitted by agencies, other third parties, or through other unapproved methods are void. Any attempt at entry except as stated herein is void. Sponsor will not provide you with confirmation of receipt of your submission. Review the judging criteria for your submission located in the Panel Judges section below. By participating in the Contest, you agree to comply with the EverQuest II End User License Agreement, Station Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, and all other EverQuest IIrules, regulations, and policies. Entrants not complying with these requirements will be disqualified. You expressly acknowledge and agree that all content is owned by Sponsor. The concept for the Screenshots must be your original design and creation, the concept for and content of the Essay must be your original creation, and neither the Screenshots nor the Essay may be subject to the rights of any third parties, other than Sponsor. The content of the Screenshots and the Essay may not be offensive or otherwise unsuitable for use, as determined in Sponsor's sole discretion. By participating in the Contest, you acknowledge and agree that Sponsor has an irrevocable right and license to publish, use, edit, and display any or all of your Screenshots and Essay, without further approval from you, without territorial, time, or other limitations, for any and all purposes, including, but not limited to, marketing, advertising, and promotional purposes.
Determination of Winners: Winners will be selected for each category in accordance with the following judging procedure.

Panel Judges: Eligible entrants will be judged by a panel of judges, consisting of members of Sponsor's EverQuest II development, marketing, and community relations teams, according to the criteria set forth below, and whose decisions are final and binding in all respects. The panel judges will use the following criteria in determining a ranking of the top submissions ("Finalists") (the number of which is at Sponsor's discretion, based upon the number and quality of entries) for the Contest: The panel judges will use a 0-100 point scale. 0-35 points for originality, 0-35 points for creativity, and 0-30 for theme. In the unlikely event of a tie for any portion of the Contest, the judging panel shall break that tie by determining which of the tied entries better represents the Contest theme. Finalists will only be selected from those eligible entries meeting the judging criteria set forth above, and if no entry meets the criteria above, in the panel's sole and absolute discretion, then no prize shall be awarded. The eligible entrant receiving the most number of points from the panel of judges in each category will be the Grand Prize Winner for that category, subject to verification or eligibility by Sponsor. Following the Contest Period, on or about November 7, 2008, Sponsor will announce the Grand Prize winner at http://eq2players.com and on EverQuest II forums.

Description of Grand Prize: The panel of judges will choose one (1) Grand Prize winner. The Grand Prize winning Screenshots and Essay will be displayed as the "EverQuest II 2008 Guild Halls Interior Decorating Contest Winner" (subject to Sponsor guidelines, standards, and practices, and in a manner and location determined by Sponsor in its discretion) on the http://eq2players.com website and/or any other EverQuest II related website, in Sponsor's sole discretion. Additionally, the Grand Prize winner will receive two (2) TripleHead2Go Digital Edition graphic expansion modules (Approximate Retail Value ("ARV"): US$329.00 for each module), one (1) EverQuest II promotional guild hall pewter key (ARV US$9.99), one (1) Living Legacy t-shirt (ARV US$9.99), and one (1) in-game statue to be placed in the Grand Prize winner’s guild hall (ARV US$0.00). Total ARV of the Grand Prize: US$677.98.

Description of Runner Up Prize: The panel of judges will choose one (1) Runner Up winner. The Runner Up winner will receive one (1) TripleHead2Go Digital Edition graphic expansion module (ARV US$329.00), one (1) EverQuest II promotional guild hall pewter key (ARV US$9.99), one (1) Living Legacy t-shirt (ARV US$9.99), and one (1) in-game statue to be placed in the Runner Up winner’s guild hall (ARV US$0.00). Total ARV of the Runner Up Prize: US$348.98.

Description of Third Place Prize: The panel of judges will choose one (1) Third Place winner. The Third Place winner will receive one (1) EverQuest II promotional guild hall pewter key (ARV US$9.99), one (1) Living Legacy t-shirt (ARV US$9.99), and one (1) in-game statue tobe placed in the Third Place winner’s guild hall (ARV US$0.00). Total ARV of the Third Place Prize: US$19.98.

Description of Honorable Mention Prize: The panel of judges will choose one (1) Honorable Mention winner. The Honorable Mention winner will receive one (1) EverQuest II promotional guild hall pewter key (ARV US$9.99), and one (1) in-game statue to be placed in the Honorable Mention winner’s guild hall (ARV US$0.00). Total ARV of the Honorable Mention Prize: US$9.99.

ARV of all prizes: US$1,056.93.

General Limitations for all prizes: No alternative prize, cash, or other substitution is permitted, except by Sponsor, in the event of prize unavailability. Prizes are non-transferable. All federal, state, and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winner. A total of up to four (4) prizes will be awarded. The potential winners will be notified by e-mail or first class mail within five (5) business days of the conclusion of the judging. Each potential winner will have five (5) business days from notification to accept the prize by e-mail or by U.S. mail to the address specified in the notification. Prizes will be delivered within approximately six (6) to eight (8) weeks of verification/confirmation of winners.
Requirements of Winner: Potential winners of prizes (all Finalists) are required to sign and return releases of liability, declarations of eligibility, and where lawful, publicity consent agreements, within five (5) days of acknowledged notification. By agreeing to become a Finalist and/or accepting and/or using a prize, winner agrees to the use of his or her name, voice and/or likeness, and Screenshots and/or Essay, for the purpose of advertising, trade, or promotion by Sponsor without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. If you are chosen as a winner, you agree to submit your EverQuest II character name and allow Sponsor to display it next to your Screenshots and/or Essay. If a selected potential winner cannot be contacted, is ineligible (under these rules or due to a failure to comply with any of the other applicable policies, licenses, rules, and terms of service), fails to claim a prize, or fails to timely return the completed and executed releases/agreements as required, prize may be forfeited and an alternate potential winner may, at Sponsor's discretion, be selected.

General Terms and Conditions: By participating in the Contest, entrant agrees that under no circumstances, including, but not limited to, negligence, shall Sponsor or its licensors, its and their respective officers, directors, employees, shareholders, agents, successors, and assigns, and all prize providers (the "Released Parties") be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out participation in the Contest, even if any or all of the Released Parties have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, and therefore such exclusions may not apply to you. By participating in the Contest, you waive any and all rights to bring any claim or action related to your participation in any forum beyond one (1) year after the first occurrence of the kind of act, event, condition or omission upon which the claim or action is based. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor, which shall be final. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any person, entry, or e-mail address that Sponsor determines to be in violation of any term contained in these Official Rules. Sponsor, its parentcompanies, affiliates, subsidiaries, licensors, advertising, promotion, and fulfillment agencies, legal advisors, prize providers, and the respective employees, officers, directors, shareholders, agents, and representatives of each, are not responsible for and shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, damaged, misdirected, stolen, incomplete, illegible, unintelligible or postage-due entries, notices, releases, forms, affidavits, or other correspondence; (ii) telephone, electronic, hardware or software program, network, Internet, or computer malfunctions, failures, interruptions or difficulties of any kind; (iii) failed, incomplete, garbled, or delayed computer transmissions; (iv) any condition caused by events beyond the control of the Sponsor that may cause the Contest to be disrupted or corrupted; (v) any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind arising in connection with or as a result of a prize, or acceptance, possession, or use of a prize, or from participation in the Contest or arising from the entrant's access to and use of the Internet site http://www.station.sony.com (and all related websites of Sponsor, including http://eq2players.com), including without limitation, personal injury, death, and property damage, and claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy, to the extent permitted by law; or (vi) any errors in any materials associated with the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest if any problem corrupts the administration, security, or operation of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sponsor's failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Disputes: Contest is governed by the laws of the United States and the State of California. As a condition of participating in the Contest, you agree that any and all actions or proceedings related to the Contest shall be exclusively brought in the County of San Diego, State of California (if under state law) or the Southern District of California (if under Federal law), and the parties agree not to raise in connection therewith, and hereby waive, any defenses based upon the venue, the inconvenience of the forum, the lack of personal jurisdiction, the sufficiency of service of process or the like in any such action or suit brought in the State of California.

Winners List and Official Rules: A winners list will be posted on the web site at http://eq2players.com at the conclusion of the Contest. To obtain a copy of the winners list or a copy of these Official Rules, send your request along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Attn: Marketing Department "EverQuest II Guild Halls 2008 Interior Decorating Contest, " Sony Online Entertainment LLC, 8928 Terman Court, San Diego, CA 92121. Requests must be received no later than February 7, 2009.

© 2008 Sony Online Entertainment LLC. EverQuest is a registered trademark of Sony Online Entertainment LLC in the United States and/or other countries. SOE and the SOE logo are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.