MicroCotton “Fill Your Closet with Luxury Towels” Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.  A PURCHASE WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.  THIS CONTEST IS INTENDED FOR VIEWING IN THE UNITED STATES ONLY AND SHALL ONLY BE CONSTRUED AND EVALUATED ACCORDING TO UNITED STATES LAW. 

Participation constitutes entrant's full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. The “Fill your Closet with Luxury Towels” Contest ("Contest") will begin at 12:01 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on April 15, 2008 ("Contest Start Date"), and ends at 12:00 pm EDT on June 15, 2008 ("Contest Period").  Contest is sponsored by MicroCotton (Sharadha Terry Products Limited, Badrakali Amman Koil Road, Mettupalayam-641 305, Coimbatore, India) ("Sponsor") who is solely responsible for all aspects of this Contest. 

Eligibility: The Contest is intended for viewing in the United States (“U.S.”) only and shall only be construed and evaluated according to U.S. law. Do not enter the Contest if you are not (i) a legal U.S. resident, and (ii) age 18 or older as of April 15, 2008. Employees, officers and directors of Sponsor, Nike Communications, and American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co. and their parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, agents and advertising and promotion agencies (collectively, “Released Parties”), as well as the immediate family members (parents, children, siblings, spouses) and/or persons living in the same household (whether related or not) of each are not eligible to participate in the Contest. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.  Void in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. Military installations in foreign countries, and where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law.

How to Enter: You can enter online at www.microcotton.com by submitting a 100 word (or less) essay which answers the following question: “Why do you think your linen closet deserves a MicroCotton make-over?” To complete the Contest registration, the participant needs to provide name, date of birth, address (including ZIP code), phone number and email address.  All online entries must be received by 12:00 pm EDT on June 15, 2008.   Limit one entry per person/per household.  Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any person or email address that submits more than maximum allowed entries.  Incomplete entries, or those containing incorrect information, will be voided. Proof of sending or submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor.  Use of any automated system to submit entries is prohibited and will result in disqualification of all such entries as well as the entrant.  By participating in this Contest, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Administrator which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest. By entering this Promotion, entrants agree that each entry becomes the property of Sponsor and that the Sponsor may use such entry for any proper purpose. Any personally identifiable information collected during an entrant's participation in this Promotion will be collected by Sponsor and used by Sponsor, Administrator, their respective affiliates, agents and marketers for purposes of the proper administration and fulfillment of the Promotion as described in these Official Rules. Sponsor’s published privacy policy does NOT apply to use by the company of any Essay that an entrant submits to the Promotion or to any information submitted in connection with such Essay.

Contest Entries not meeting all of the following requirements may be disqualified:

Essay Rights and Requirements: By submitting an entry, entrant warrants that the Essay (1) does not infringe any copyright, (2) does not invade anyone’s privacy, (3) does not libel or slander anyone, (4) does not contain profanities, vulgar language, lewd behavior, or are otherwise obscene or inappropriate for a general audience, and (5) is original and has not previously been published. An original is the product of one's own mind and is not a copy or imitation.

By submitting a Essay, Contestant irrevocably assigns, conveys and otherwise transfers to Sponsor, its successors, and assigns any and all right, title, and interest in perpetuity throughout the world in and to the Contestant’s Essay, including, without limitation, any and all copyrights, trademarks, contract and licensing rights, moral rights or “droit moral,” and other intellectual property and proprietary rights in the Essay, and the exclusive right to edit, change, revise, reproduce, display, perform, publish, distribute, license, sublicense, and sell the Essay in whole or in part, and to prepare, use, and exploit derivative works or improvements thereof, in all forms and media now or hereafter known, including material in digital and electronic media, computer, audio and audiovisual versions, and translations and adaptations, all in any language throughout the world and in Sponsor’s sole discretion in perpetuity. Without limiting the foregoing, entrant hereby waives and releases Sponsor, from any and all claims that entrant may now or hereafter have in any jurisdiction based on such “moral rights” or “droit moral” or unfair competition with respect to Sponsor’s exploitation of the Essay without further compensation to Contestant of any kind. Entrant agrees that email shall satisfy any writing requirement that may apply to the assignment, conveyance, transfer, license, or waiver of any of the aforementioned rights. Entrant shall execute and deliver such documents, at Sponsor’s expense, as requested by Sponsor or as may be necessary to vest in Sponsor the rights and waivers provided herein. Entrant agrees not to instigate, support, maintain, or authorize any action, claim, or lawsuit against Sponsor or its affiliates, or any other person, on the grounds that any use of the Essay, or any derivative works, infringe or violate any of entrant’s rights therein. Entrant grants the Sponsor and its agents the right to associate the Essay with entrant’s name, image, likeness, hometown, and biographical information, without limitation and without compensation. Entrants shall not receive any compensation or credit for Sponsor’s use of entries, other than that disclosed in these Official Rules.

Judging: Each Essay will be judged based on the following criteria: Appropriateness to Theme (30%), Creativity (25%), Broad Appeal (25%) and Inspiration (20%).  Each contest entry will be reviewed by a qualified judge or panel of judges whose decisions are final.  The Grand Prize winners will be chosen based on the above criteria.

Internet Limitations of Liability: If for any reason, this Contest is not capable of running as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Sponsor which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process (if applicable), and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest in whole or in part, at any time, without notice and award the prize using all non-suspect eligible entries received as of the termination/suspension date.  Sponsor assumes 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. The Sponsor also is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or telephone lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure or delay of any email or entry to be received by Sponsor on account of technical problems, human error or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or any combination thereof.

Sponsor is not responsible for any damage to an entrant’s system which is occasioned by participating in this Contest or by downloading any information necessary to participate in the promotion.  Sponsor also is not responsible for incorrect or inaccurate entry information whether caused by Internet users or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest or by any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in the Contest.  Any dispute or claim arising out of the play of this Contest, or any disputes with site users which arise as a result of the use of this website, shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without respect to conflicts of laws principles.  Any such claim shall be brought and maintained in the federal or state courts of the State of New York.  If any provisions of the Official Rules are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, such determination shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.  CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT 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, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of an individual who actually submitted an online entry, the entry will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email account. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email account by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational, institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.

Prizes: There will be Fifty (50) Grand Prize winners.  Each Grand Prize winner will receive four (4) sets of MicroCotton towels. The Approximate Retail Value of each grand prize is $250. By accepting any of the aforementioned prizes, each prize winner agrees to release the Sponsor and all Released Parties from any and all liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind caused by entering the promotion or for damages of any kind caused by any prize or resulting from acceptance, possession, or use/misuse of prize awarded. All local, state and federal taxes are the sole responsibility of winner. The Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to substitute any prize package with another prize of equal or greater value.  No substitution or transfer of prize or election of cash in lieu of prize will be permitted.

Winner Notification:  The Grand Prize winners will be selected based on the aforementioned criteria, from among all eligible entries received by either entry method, on or about June 30, 2008. The judging will be completed by an independent judging organization, whose decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest. The Grand Prize winners will be notified by mail. Odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received by either entry method.  Upon initial verification of the winners, the Grand Prize awards will be sent to winner via USPS mail, or other home delivery service of Sponsor’s choice.

Prize Conditions: All Prize winners are solely responsible for all applicable federal, state, and local taxes associated with the receipt of any prize.  The winner’s entry into the Contest constitutes permission (except where prohibited) for the Sponsor and its Related Entities and assigns of each to have, without further obligation, the right to print, publish, broadcast and use, worldwide in any media now known or hereafter developed, including but not limited to the world wide web, at any time or times, their names, portraits, pictures, video clips, voices, likeness and/or biographical information as news or information and for advertising, trade and promotional purposes in connection with the Contest without additional consideration, without notice, and without additional compensation unless prohibited by law.

Terms & Conditions: This Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. By entering the Contest, entrants agree to release Sponsor and all Released Parties, retailers, distributors and advertising and promotion agencies, and its and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, shareholders and agents from any and all liability, loss, damage or injuries to any person (including death) or property of any kind sustained in connection with their participation in the Contest or from their acceptance, receipt, possession and/or use or misuse of the prize, or for any typographical or other error in the printing, offering or announcement of the prize.  Entrants further acknowledge that said parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guarantee express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to the prize, including, but not limited to, its quality or fitness for a particular purpose.  Any person attempting to defraud or in any way tamper with the Contest mechanics and/or implementation will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  By participating, entrants agree to waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Contest or these Official Rules. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, violates these Official Rules.  This Contest is void where prohibited.

Winners List: To request a copy of the list of winners, please send a self-addressed, stamped business size envelope, by August 30, 2008, to: ASC/MicroCotton Contest Winners List, 300 State Street, Suite 402, Rochester, NY 14614.

Official Rules by Mail:  For your own copy of the Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to ASC/MicroCotton Contest Official Rules, 300 State Street, Suite 402, Rochester, NY 14614, for receipt by June 10, 2008.  VT residents may omit return postage.

Sponsor: MicroCotton (Sharadha Terry Products Limited, Badrakali Amman Koil Road, Mettupalayam-641 305, Coimbatore, India )