Michigan Patch Dog Show Contest Official Rules

 1.    Eligibility: The Novi Patch Dog Show Contest (the “Contest”) is open only to individuals who are legal residents of the 50 United States (including the District of Columbia) who are 18 years of age or older. Employees (including freelancers and contractors) of Patch Media Corporation, AOL Inc., their advertising or promotion agencies, those involved in the production, development, implementation or handling of Contest, any agents acting for, or on behalf of the above entities, their respective parent companies, officers, directors, subsidiaries, affiliates, licensees, service providers, prize suppliers any other person or entity associated with the Contest (collectively “Contest Entities”) and/or the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members (whether related or not) of each such employee, are not eligible. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited by law.

2.    Sponsors: The Contest is sponsored by Patch Media Corporation, 584 Broadway, Suite 1206, New York, NY 10012 and The Family Puppy, 44125 W 12 Mile Rd., Suite E-121, Novi, MI 48377 (“Sponsors”).

3.    Agreement to Official Rules: Participation in the Contest constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsors, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

4.    Entry Period: The Contest will begin at 6:00 am ET on January 18, 2012 and end at 11:59 pm ET on January 23, 2012 (the “Entry Period”). Entries received prior to or after the Entry Period will not be accepted.

5.    Entry: To enter the Contest, go to  and follow the directions to submit a photo of your dog.  Limit one (1) entry per dog.  Entrants can only submit photos of their own dog(s).  Only one (1) dog may appear in the photo.  People may not appear in the photo.  The use of any agencies or automated software to submit entries will void all entries submitted by that person. 

6.     License to Use Submissions: Sponsors shall have the right to disqualify any entries that they deem to be obscene, vulgar, sexually explicit, lewd, derogatory, inappropriate, or otherwise not in good taste, as determined by the Sponsors in its discretion.  Submissions must be 100% your original work, that is, portraits or other photographs of your dog(s) taken by a professional photographer unrelated to you, where the photographer retains ownership of the photographs, are specifically prohibited from entry unless you have written permission from the photographer.  Submissions must not contain any third party material or content (including but not limited to any company logos or trademarks, photographs, film or video clips, music, or any other copyrighted or trademarked content) for which you have not been granted specific written permission for this use by the copyright or trademark rights holder. Any clothing/collars/leashes worn in the Submission should not contain any visible logos, drawings, cartoons, phrases, trademarks or other third-party materials.  You grant to the Sponsors and its designees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, edit, market, store, distribute, have distributed, publicly and privately display, communicate, publicly and privately perform, transmit, have transmitted, create derivative works based upon, and promote your image, biographic information, and comments (collectively, the "Submission") in connection with the Contest and such other products or services as the Sponsors may designate in any medium now known or hereafter devised for editorial, commercial, promotional and/or any other purpose. In addition, the Sponsors shall have the right to reproduce and distribute your Submission for promotional purposes in broadcast, print and or other media as the Sponsors may determine in their sole discretion. You retain ownership of all right, title, and interest in and to your Submission. You agree that the Sponsors owns all right, title, and interest in any compilation, collective work, or other derivative work created by the Sponsors using or incorporating your Submission. You hereby grant to the Sponsors the right to edit any of your Submission, in whole or in part. In addition, you hereby grant to the Sponsors and their designees the right to use any edited Submission, or parts of a Submission, without your approval and waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the Submission prior to or following publication and any right to compensation for the Submission. All elements of your Submission must be your original work and must be owned by you, and you must have the right to grant any and all necessary rights and licenses, including without limitation, all necessary copyright and other related rights to all of the materials, free and clear of all claims and encumbrances without violating the rights of any person or entity, including any right to privacy or publicity. By submitting your Submission, you agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsors and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of your Submission or your participation in any phase of this Contest. 

7.  Disclaimer of Similarities:  Due to the nature of this Contest, there is a possibility that similar Submissions may be entered by multiple individuals. Any similarity between Submissions shall in no way entitle you to any consideration or compensation from the Sponsors or from any third party, including in the event a Submission similar or identical to yours is selected as a winner in this Contest.  By submitting your Submission, you specifically acknowledge this possibility and agree to the terms stated in these Official Rules.

8.  Winner Selection:  At the conclusion of the Entry Period, all eligible entries received will be judged by a panel of judges based on the overall attractiveness of the dog and the ability of the entry to express the happy, healthy nature of the dog.  The Judges will select three (3) potential winners.  Decisions of judges are final and binding on all matters relating to this Contest.  Potential winners will be contacted via email and will be asked to provide their full name and mailing address within a specified time period.  If potential winner does not respond within the timeframe stated in the notification email, the Sponsors may select an alternate potential winner in his/her place at random from all entries received during the Entry Period.  

9.   Requirements of the Potential Winners: Except where prohibited, a potential winner may be required to complete and return an affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release (the “Affidavit/Release”) and an IRS W-9 form within a timeframe to be determined by Sponsors.  If a potential winner fails to sign and return the Affidavit/Release within the required time period, or if the notification is returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and may be awarded to an alternate winner.  Acceptance of a prize constitutes consent to use winner’s name and likeness for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. 

10.    Prizes:  Three (3) Grand Prize Winners will each receive a 2-hour Create-a-Pet Party (for six guests) at The Family Puppy location nearest the winner’s residence (party is subject to terms and conditions set forth by The Family Puppy and must be booked by an expiration date to be determined by The Family Puppy).  Approximate Retail Value of each prize is $110.  No cash or other substitution may be made, except by the Sponsors, who reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value if the prize is not available for any reason as determined by the Sponsors in its sole discretion. The winners are responsible for any taxes and fees associated with receipt or use of a prize.  Prizes are not transferable. 

11.    General Conditions: In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including, but not limited to fraud, virus, or other technical problem, the Sponsors may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirit of these Official Rules; or (b) award the prize from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. The Sponsors 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, the Sponsors reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. The Sponsors’ failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. In case of a dispute as to the owner of an entry, entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized account holder of the screen name from which the entry is made. The 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 responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

12.    Release and Limitations of Liability: By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Contest Entities from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (b) technical errors related to computers, servers, providers, or telephone or network lines; (c) printing errors; (d) lost, late, postage-due, misdirected, or undeliverable mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt of any prize. Entrant further agrees that in any cause of action, the Contest Entities’ liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Contest Entities be liable for attorney’s fees. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

13.    Disputes: Except where prohibited, entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Sponsors in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the Commonwealth of Virginia or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the Commonwealth of Virginia.

14.    Contest Results: To request the names of the winners, send an email with the subject line, “Dog Show Winners” to Jessica.Nunez@patch.com.  Requests must be received by January 31, 2012

Copyright 2012 Patch.  All rights reserved.  Entrants may copy these official rules for the sole purpose of personal use and not for any commercial purpose whatsoever.