The J Dilla Foundations Logo Contest Official Rules

Introduction

This document describes the official rules (ÒOfficial RulesÓ) of The J Dilla Foundation Logo Design Contest. The object of this contest is to design a logo for The J Dilla Foundation, a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) pending, public charity. Information on how to enter and about the prizes are part of these Official Rules. To the extent of any inconsistency, these Official Rules prevail.

Definitions

ÒEntryÓ means a logo design created by the Entrant for this Contest.

ÒEntrantÓ means the individual that offers the Entry under the terms of this Contest.

Eligibility

  1. The Contest is open only to individuals. The Contest is not open to companies, educational institutions, organizations, etc. or to groups associated with such institutions.
  2. Members of The J Dilla Foundation and their immediate family are not eligible to enter the Contest.
  3. Entrants must be of sufficient legal age and standing to enter into a contract with The J Dilla Foundation as required below.

How to Enter

  1. Initial entries must be submitted by email to logos@jdillafoundation.org. The entries must be submitted as a scalable vector graphic in EPS format, and also as a JPG. See the Submission Guidelines below for further information.
  2. The email must include the name, age, postal address, phone number and email address of the Entrant.
  3. No more than 2 Entries may be submitted by any one Entrant.
  4. Entries must conform to the Submission Guidelines set out below. Entries which fail to do so will be rejected.
  5. The deadline for Entries is midnight EST on March 23th, 2010.
  6. We will attempt to acknowledge all entries within one week of receipt; however, we cannot be responsible for entries or responses lost in e-mail.
  7. There is no fee to enter the Contest.

Submission Guidelines

The purpose of the contest is to design a logo for The J Dilla Foundation. The logo can be used online, in print, and on merchandise such as but not limited to books, DVDs, etc. Flexibility is a key requirement, including the need to resize easily and to look good in black and white as well as color. The final version of the logo will need to be suitable for high quality printing.

While the logo needs to look good at relatively small sizes, it will not need to be shrunk for use.

Because of the requirement to register the logo as a Service Mark, Entrants should take care to ensure that their Entries are not in any way similar to existing logos or other copyrighted images. A logo that cannot be registered as a Service Mark, no matter how well crafted, cannot win the Contest.

The logo must contain the words The J Dilla Foundation  (which JDF claims as a Service Mark). This image should not be photographic (see below for information on graphic formats.)

The logo must not contain any other text besides that required above.

Due to the requirements for high quality printing and re-sizing Entries must submitted in scalable vector graphic format (EPS). We advise against the use of halftones and gradients unless created inside a vector graphics program. Color in this version must be CMYK, no spot colors.

JPGs 1000 pixels square of the logo in color and black and white are also requested so that entries can be posted to The J Dilla Foundation web sites without the need for conversion.

The limit on attachment sizes for our email is unlimited.

To recap, entry will consist of 4 files: the basic logo, in color and black and white, each in EPS and JPG format. We are able to handle most common file compression formats.

Prizes

Subject to the legal requirements outlined above, the winning design will be announced on the The J Dilla Foundation website March 2010. Every effort will be made to inform the winner before the announcement is posted.

The winning designer will receive:

  1. Prize pack of commemorative J Dilla/Stones Throw merchandise signed by Maureen ÒMaDukesÓ Yancey
  2. The right to use the basic logo and identify him/herself as the logo designer.
  3. Our eternal gratitude and admiration.

Judging and Selection of Winner

  1. The winning design will be selected by judges appointed for the purpose and by The J Dilla Foundation. Their decision will be final. No further correspondence shall be entered into.
  2. The J Dilla Foundation reserves the right not to select a winner if, in its sole discretion, no suitable entries are received.
  3. The J Dilla Foundation reserves the right to disqualify any Entrant or Entry at its sole discretion. No correspondence shall be entered into.
  4. The winner will be required to sign a contract assigning all ownership of the logo to The J Dilla Foundation.
  5. Accepting the prize constitutes permission for The J Dilla Foundation to make public and otherwise use winnerÕs name, and country of residence for publicity purposes. Further personal data may be requested but is not required.
  6. No timetable is set for the announcement of a winner due to the need to confirm that the winning entry can be registered as a Service Mark.

Intellectual Property

  1. All submitted work must be original and not based on any pre-existing design.
  2. All Entries will become the sole property of The J Dilla Foundation and may be displayed publicly on The J Dilla Foundation web sites.
  3. The winning entry will be registered by The J Dilla Foundation as a Service Mark and the Entrant agrees to transfer all right and title to the Entry to The J Dilla Foundation in accordance with the Official Rules of this Contest.

(Entrants should note that the term ÒThe J Dilla FoundationÓ is already claimed by The J Dilla Foundation as service marks so re-use of unsuccessful entries would be difficult without infringing existing The J Dilla Foundation rights.)

Acceptance

Participation constitutes the EntrantÕs full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. By participating in the Contest, the Entrant is representing and warranting that he/she has read and understood, and agrees to be bound by, these rules. Including the guides and rules referred to herein, these Official Rules constitute the entire agreement between the Entrant and The J Dilla Foundation in relation to the Contest. They govern the EntrantÕs participation and supersede any prior or other agreements between the Entrant and The J Dilla Foundation and relating to the Contest.

About THE J DILLA FOUNDATION

The J Dilla Foundation is a non-profit public charity. Our Mission is to help fund inner city music programs, and to provide scholarships to students attending schools that have progressive music curricula. The J Dilla Foundation has no property of its own other than service marks. It is our intention that no individual or corporation will profit from The J Dilla Foundation owning of the rights to the logo.


Representations and Warranties

By participating in the Contest, the Entrant warrants and represents in connection with the Entry submitted as part of his/her participation in the Contest: (a) he/she is the sole and exclusive owner of (and free of any adverse claim by any person, firm, or corporation) all intellectual property rights in and to the Entry; (b) the Entry is original and the use of the Entry as described in these Official Rules will not infringe the proprietary rights, including without limitation the intellectual property rights, of any third party; (c) the use of the Entry, as described in these Official Rules, will be in compliance with any third-party licenses pertaining to the Entry; (d) the Entry is not obscene or libelous, and does not violate any rights of any third party, including but not limited to rights of privacy or publicity; (e) the Entry does not contain any virus, spyware, malware, trap door, worm, or any other device, mechanism or code that is injurious or damaging to software or hardware used in conjunction with the Entry; (f) the Entry and its use as described in these Official Rules will not violate any federal, provincial, state or local laws or ordinances; (g) no employer or educational or other establishment has any rights in the Entry; (h) the Entry is consistent with these Official Rules; and (i) he/she has the right to grant the license to THE J DILLA FOUNDATION as required in these Official Rules.

Severability

When any provision of these Official Rules is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the parties nevertheless agree that the Court should endeavor to give effect to the intentions of the parties as reflected in the provision, and that the other provisions of these Official Rules remain in full force and effect.

Indemnity; Disclaimer of warranties; Limitation of Liability

By participating in the Contest, the Entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements and all decisions of THE J DILLA FOUNDATION. By participating in the Contest, the Entrant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless THE J DILLA FOUNDATION and its officers, agents, affiliates, contractors, contributors, subsidiaries, licensors and distributors (ÒTHE J DILLA FOUNDATION EntitiesÓ) from any and all liability, claims, or actions of any kind, including, without limitation, property damage, personal injury, and/or death, arising out of his/her (i) breach of any representation, warranty or covenant contained in these Official Rules; or (ii) participation in the Contest; (iii) acceptance and/or use or misuse of any prize in connection with the Contest; or (iv) any third party claim relating to any rights in any design submitted.

BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, THE ENTRANT AGREES THAT THE J DILLA FOUNDATION ENTITIES MAKE NO WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION, OR GUARANTEE OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, IN FACT OR IN LAW, RELATING TO THE CONTEST AND/OR THE PRIZES.

By participating in the Contest, the Entrant agrees that THE J DILLA FOUNDATION is not responsible, and will in no event be held liable, for any: (a) lost, late, illegible, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, corrupted or garbled entries; (b) telephone, computer, or network malfunction or error; (c) communication disruption or other disruptions related to Internet traffic, virus, bug, worm, or non-authorized intervention; or (d) damage caused by a computer virus or otherwise resulting to any computer from the submission of entries. If such malfunction, error, disruption, or damage occurs or impairs the administration, security, fairness, or integrity of the Contest, THE J DILLA FOUNDATION may, in its sole discretion, suspend, modify or terminate the Contest by posting a notice at http://www.jdillafoundation.org. If the Contest is terminated before the scheduled end of the Contest Period, THE J DILLA FOUNDATION will determine the winner from all eligible entries received as of the termination date. Persons found tampering with or abusing any aspect of the Contest, or whom THE J DILLA FOUNDATION believes to be causing or attempting or intending to cause any malfunction, error, disruption, or damage will be disqualified. THE J DILLA FOUNDATION reserves the right to disqualify any unauthorized entries, including, without limitation, multiple entries from the same person, or any entries made through robotic, automatic, mechanical, programmed or similar multiple-entry, or entry duplication, method and to disqualify any person or entity using such a method.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY, AND ONLY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY THE APPLICABLE LAW, BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, THE ENTRANT AGREES THAT IN NO EVENT WILL THE J DILLA FOUNDATION OR ANY THE J DILLA FOUNDATION ENTITY BE LIABLE TO ENTRANTS OR ANY OTHER PARTY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, REGARDLESS OF THE BASIS OR NATURE OF THE CLAIM, RELATING IN ANY MANNER TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES, THE CONTEST OR THE ENTRANTÕS PARTICIPATION THEREIN, EVEN IF THE J DILLA FOUNDATION OR A J DILLA FOUNDATION ENTITY WERE EXPRESSLY ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. ALSO NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING HEREIN TO THE CONTRARY, BY PARTICIPATING IN THE CONTEST, THE ENTRANT FURTHER AGREES THAT IN NO EVENT WILL THE LIABILITY OF THE J DILLA FOUNDATION OR ANY THE J DILLA FOUNDATION ENTITY RELATING IN ANY MANNER TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES, THE CONTEST OR THE ENTRANTÕS PARTICIPATION THEREIN EXCEED THE GREATER OF US$1,000 OR ANY OTHER AMOUNTS PAID BY THE ENTRANT TO ENTER INTO THE CONTEST. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CERTAIN INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO THE ENTRANT. IN THE EVENT THAT THE PRECEDING RELEASE IS DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION TO BE INVALID OR VOID FOR ANY REASON, THE ENTRANT AGREES THAT, BY ENTERING THE CONTEST, (I) ANY AND ALL DISPUTES, CLAIMS, AND CAUSES OR ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST, OR ANY PRIZES AWARDED, SHALL BE RESOLVED INDIVIDUALLY WITHOUT RESORT TO ANY FORM OF CLASS ACTION; AND (II) ANY CLAIMS, JUDGEMENTS AND AWARDS SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS INCURRED, INCLUDING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ENTERING THE CONTEST, BUT IN NO EVENT ATTORNEYÕS FEES.

For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent that US law applies, nothing in these Official Rules shall limit or exclude either partyÕs liability for fraud, or for death or personal injury caused by its negligence, or any other liability to the extent such liability cannot be excluded or limited as a matter of law.

Interpretation; Governing Law; Jurisdiction

Interpretation. In the case of any dispute about the interpretation of the Rules, THE J DILLA FOUNDATIONÕs decision as to the interpretation shall be final and Entrant shall be bound by THE J DILLA FOUNDATIONÕs decision.

Governing Law. The interpretation and enforcement of these Official Rules will be governed by the laws of the State of Michigan, USA, except to the extent required to be governed by the local law in the place of residence of an Entrant. The Contest is subject to all applicable, as the case may be, national, federal, provincial, state and local laws. The Entrant and THE J DILLA FOUNDATION agree to the extent permitted by law to submit all disputes arising out of or relating to these Official Rules or the Contest to, and hereby waive any objection to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of, the state and federal courts located in Detroit, Michigan. Subject to Section 5 above, if necessary any provision of these Official Rules which is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction shall be deemed to be struck out from these Official Rules.

Consideration

The Entrant agrees that the ability to participate in the Contest and to compete for the prizes offered in connection with the Contest constitute, where required, sufficient consideration for the EntrantÕs obligations under these Official Rules.