The Dobbs Challenge (the “Contest”) is being sponsored by Think Services LLC (the “Sponsor”).  Each person or entity who enters the Contest (each, an “Entrant”) agrees to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Sponsor and its judges, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to the Contest.

HOW TO ENTER

To enter the Contest, an Entrant who is otherwise eligible under these Official Rules must submit all of the following materials at any time between 12:00 a.m. P.T. on March 13th, 2008 and 11:59 p.m. P.T. on June 13th, 2008 (the “Entry Deadline”): * A properly completed official entry form, located on the Contest application page of Sponsor’s website, www.dobbschallenge.com (the “Contest Website”). * A digital link to  the game being entered (an “Entered Game”), submitted by uploading the link to the official Dobbs Challenge site.

WINNER SELECTION PROCESS

Games will be evaluated by a panel of judges appointed by Sponsor (the “Judging Committee”). The Judging Committee will review the Games and select winners during. Each member of the Judging Committee will select one (1) winner from the Games in each Category. The Game with the most votes in a Category is the “Winning Game” for that Category. In the event of a tie vote in any Category, the Winning Game will be selected by the chairperson of the Judging Committee. All Winning Games will be announced on June 15th, 2008.

WINNER PRIZES

 Each Entrant who submits the Winning Game in a Category (each, a “Winner”) will receive the prize indicated below for that Category:

The Dobbs First Month Challenge ($1,000)
Best Windows Game ($4,000)
Best Windows Mobile Game ($2,000)
Best One Button Game ($1,000)
Best Game Starring Dr Dobbs And The Defy All Challenges Crew ($1,000)
Best Total Conversion ($1,000)


PRIZE TERMS

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. Each Finalist and Winner will be solely responsible for bearing any income or other taxes, fees, or other costs relating to any prize.

PRIOR CONTESTS

There have been no prior contests and Sponsor does not know how many games will be entered in the Contest.

RESTRICTIONS/ELIGIBILITY

The Contest is open only to business entities and to individuals who are 13 years or older, in each case who have access to the Internet on or before February 1st, 2008. Individuals under the age of 18 years must provide evidence of parent or legal guardian consent satisfactory to Sponsor. Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and its advertising, promotion, and production agencies, as well as employees of any of the foregoing, members of such employees’ immediate families (including spouse, parents, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, step-children, step-parents and in-laws), and persons with whom such employees are domiciled, are not eligible.

In addition to the foregoing general eligibility requirements, the following additional requirements must be met:

• Created Using Provided Materials: The Nominating Committee must be confident that the submitted game was created using the provided "Dr Dobb's Challenge" materials provided in both Windows and Windows Mobile formats.  The Nominating Committee reserves the right to refuse any game at its sole discretion.
• Uses Visual Studio Icons: Visual Studio Icons must be used as some form of collectible within the submitted game.
• Use of Third Party Technology: Games that make use of third party game engines, middleware, or other software or technology are only eligible if the Entrant has all necessary rights to commercially publish the game. For instance, if an Entrant does not have full legal rights to commercially release a game using the Quake III engine, that game is not eligible for the Contest.
• Rights: Before submitting an Entered Game, the Entrant must have obtained the written permission of all persons or entities having any rights in the Entered Game.
• Updates: Entered Game updates are permitted during the Nominating Period. However, Sponsor does not guarantee the viewing or application of every patch/update by the Nominating Committee.
• State of Development: All Entered Games must be in a "beta" state or better (i.e., Entered Games must be feature-complete). At least one (1) level of each Entered Game must be complete and fully playable.

RELEASE

By entering the Contest, each Entrant releases and holds harmless Sponsor, its parents, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees from any and all responsibility or liability arising out of or relating to: (i) any personal injury, death, property (including computer) damage, or other loss or claim of any kind arising from or in connection with any violation of these Official Rules; the Contest, the Conference or any Entered Game; the acceptance, possession, or use of any prize; or any travel required by the Contest; (ii) any entry or other materials that have been tampered with, that are misdirected, incomplete, incorrect, non-conforming, corrupt, lost, late, or ineligible, or, with respect to mail-in entries or materials, that are sent postage due; and (iii) computer, telephone, cable, satellite, network, hardware, software, or other technical malfunctions or failures; garbled or jumbled transmissions; Internet or website inaccessibility or delays; printing or typographical errors in any Contest or Conference materials; or any other technical or human errors occurring in connection with the Contest or Conference. By entering the Contest, each Entrant consents to the use of the Entrant’s name, photograph and likeness (if an individual), logo (if any), state of residence, and Entered Game for advertising, promotion, marketing, and administration of the Contest without additional compensation, to the extent permitted by law. Each entrant further agrees that Sponsor may use any and all information collected through the Contest, including the Entrant’s name and contact information, for marketing or other purposes whether or not related to the Contest, to the extent permitted by law and Sponsor’s privacy policy, which may be found on the Contest Website.

REPRESENTATIONS

By entering the Contest, each individual submitting entry materials (including an Entered Game) represents and warrants to Sponsor that: * such individual either is the Entrant (if the Entrant is an individual) or is a fully authorized representative of the Entrant (if the Entrant is a business entity); * the Entrant and the Entered Game fully comply with all eligibility requirements and all other provisions of these Official Rules; * in preparing the Entered Game and entering and participating in the Contest, the Entrant has complied and will comply in all respects with all applicable laws, regulations, and rules and has not violated nor will violate any agreement or understanding by which it is bound, including any confidentiality, employment, consulting, intellectual property assignment, or license agreement; * the Entered Game consists entirely of Entrant’s own original work or of work to which Entrant has all necessary rights; and * neither the Entered Game nor the duplication, use, display, performance, or distribution of the Entered Game will infringe or misappropriate any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any person or entity.

TERMINATION

 Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest in its sole and absolute discretion if the Contest becomes technically corrupted or is not capable of being run as planned, including infections by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of Sponsor that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest. In such event, Sponsor will post notice on the Contest Website and will implement an alternate means for awarding all prizes.

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 Sponsor, 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, without regard to any conflicts of laws principles. The Contest is void where prohibited by law. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Official Rules, the Contest, the Conference, or any prize must be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco, California, and Sponsor and each Entrant irrevocably waive any objection to the venue and jurisdiction thereof.