Numenta Challenge Rules

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Contest Rules

This CONTEST ends at 11:59 pm (PST) on January 15, 2008.

HOW TO ENTER. Complete and submit your OCR-based application in binary and source form. If you are unable to submit online, deliver a CD of your entry to Numenta Challenge, c/o Numenta, Inc., 1010 El Camino Real, Suite 380, Menlo Park, CA 94025, postmarked by September 22, 2008. No other methods of entry will be accepted. Limit: One entry per person. Team entries are permitted, but entries must be submitted by a single individual and any prizes will be awarded in the name of that individual. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED by 11:59 PM (ET) ON September 22, 2008. No illegible, incomplete, forged or altered entries will be accepted.

Your entry (i) may not have been previously published, (ii) must be the exclusive original work of the entrants, true and verifiable, (iii) must be based on the OCR example from NuPIC 1.6, (iv) must be in keeping with the goal of turning the OCR example into useful character recognition application, (iv) may not be inappropriate or offensive, as determined by the Sponsor in their sole discretion, and (v) may not defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person's personal or property rights or other third party rights. By submitting entry, entrant represents and warrants that (s)he has the unrestricted right to submit their binary and source versions and no such code infringes upon any third party's proprietary or other rights.

SOFTWARE: The entry submission must be based predominantly on the OCR example in the 1.6 (or later) version of the Numenta Platform for Intelligent Computing. You may change/rewrite the user interface, and may train the network on any images necessary for your application, but you may not change the base learning algorithms or the fundamental network design.

ELIGIBILITY: Contest is open to individuals age 13 or older, who are legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and any other territories or countries, except where limited or prohibited by law. Employees of Yale University or Numenta and their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, representatives, advertising, promotion and publicity agencies and the immediate families of each are not eligible. Participants must be registered NuPIC users.

SELECTION OF WINNERS: One winner, and two runner ups, will be selected from among all eligible entries received. The winner will be announced after September 22, 2008, on the basis of (1) success of solution, (2) application usability, and (3) implementation, by representatives of the Sponsor and Electronic Arts, whose decisions are final on all matters relating to this Contest. Winners will be announced through Numenta.com and notified by email.

PRIZES: One (1) Grand Prize: BOOKS?, valued at US$???. One (1) Second Prize: $250 Amazon gift certificate. One (1) Third Prize: $100 Amazon gift certificate. The prizes will be awarded based on a minimum of five (5) eligible entries. If there are fewer than five submissions, prizes will be awarded at the discretion of the Sponsor. Sponsor is responsible only for prize delivery; not responsible for prize utility, quality or otherwise. Prizes are not transferable. No substitution of prizes for cash or other goods and services is permitted, except the Sponsor reserves the right to provide a substitute prizes of approximately equal value. Taxes and fees, if any, are the sole responsibility of prize winner. Prizes awarded to minors will be awarded in the name of a parent or legal guardian, who will also be responsible for signing any necessary releases, consents and affidavits.

VERIFICATION OF WINNER AND DELIVERY: Winners may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and liability release and, where permitted, a publicity release. Prizes may be forfeited if affidavit is not returned within 14 days after mailing to winner or if prize is returned as undeliverable. If a prize is won by a minor, it will be awarded in the name of a parent or legal guardian. Winner agrees to use of name and entry for promotional purposes in any medium without additional compensation to the extent permitted by law, any such use with respect to minors to be subject to prior approval of parent or legal guardian.

You retain ownership rights over the application submissions, provided Numenta has an irrevocable, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to demonstrate any submitted applications, to publish the winners' names, and to use the applications as case studies about the implementation of NuPIC.

GENERAL: This Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law and subject to all applicable country, federal, state and local laws and regulations. This Contest will be governed by the internal laws of the State of California, USA. Sponsor and judges are not responsible for electronic communications that are undeliverable as a result of any form of active or passive filtering of any kind, or insufficient space in entrant's e-mail account to receive e-mail messages. By participating in this Contest, each entrant accepts the conditions stated in these Official Rules, agrees to be bound by the decisions of the judges and warrants that (s)he is eligible to participate in this Contest. The Sponsor and their agents are not in any way responsible or liable for damages, loss or injury resulting from participation in this Contest or the acceptance, possession, shipping and handling, loss, use or misuse of any prizes awarded in this Contest. Winners assume sole liability for injuries, including personal injuries and/or damage to property, caused or claimed to be caused by participating in this Contest or the acceptance, possession, shipping and handling, loss, use or misuse of any prize awarded. Sponsor has the right to cancel, terminate or modify this Contest if it cannot be completed as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, technical failures, or other conditions beyond Sponsor's control.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

SPONSOR: Numenta, Inc, 1010 El Camino Real, Suite 380, Menlo Park, CA 94025.