2009 Pick-em Official Rules

The Registration Process

Each participant must complete the registration process to become eligible to play. The registration is a simple five part process that involves age and email verification, contact information, team name creation, and password selection. Once you create a member ID (your email address), choose a password, and select your team name, you will then be given the opportunity to make your team selections.

Playing the Game

Each week, Dell Sports will display the match-ups on the "make picks" page. The season starts with the first week 1 game and ends on the last week 17 game. All picks must be made prior to 1pm ET on Sunday each week. Early games must be selected prior to the start of that early game.

Team Performance

Each week the scores will be calculated and posted for viewing. By clicking on the Results tab, you may view your team's weekly performance.

Scoring

Scoring may differ for each Dell Sports client. Each week, every player's record will be tallied and posted on the standings page. Players with the best records are listed at the top. Tiebreaking rules will determine the rank for teams with the same number of wins and losses.

Player Profiles

Each registered member will have a player profile. This will be accessible by clicking on their team name or the profile link under the Home tab. The player profile will be a text based window where a player can write a paragraph or so about them selves, they can give a quote, choose an avatar image (pre-loaded DS images), and state their favorite team. It will also display their weekly performance, and display a link to send them a private message.

Winning the Game

Each week, every player's record will be tallied and posted on the standings page. Players with the best records are listed at the top. Tiebreaking rules will determine the rank for teams with the same number of wins. The winner is the player who has the most wins throughout the season, unless otherwise outlined in the custom rules section.

If there is a tie for the overall game winner, the following tiebreakers will apply:

• Tiebreaker #1 - Total number of correct picks for Week 17. The tie breaking will continue until a winner is determined by reviewing the correct picks for each previous week.

Dell Sports clients may offer weekly and/or grand prizes and set its own rules to determine these winners. Please contact the participating Dell Sports client if you have any questions. Updated standings will be available every Tuesday, unless unforeseen problems arise.

Tie Breaker Rules (may vary for each Dell Sports client)

Teams are ranked according to total points. Please see the default tie break rules below:

In all cases, an entry that does not win a tiebreaker is eliminated from consideration. Odds of winning prizes depend on the total number of eligible entries received and the relative U.S. football knowledge of all Entrants.

Premium Upgrade

Dell Sports allows users the option to have a premium upgrade over standard members. For a one time premium fee ($9.99), users who select the premium option will be able to receive the following Premium Member Benefits:

Premium Member Benefits:

Join or Create Up To 3 Private Groups

Favorite Team Helmet Display In Standings And Smack Board

Private Groups

Private Groups are available for premium members who wish to form their own groups of their friends and co-workers. Premium members can either create or join a private groups. Each user in a private group will still be given a local rank and they will also be ranked and sorted by their performance in their private group. Every private group will have their own private smack board. There will be a commissioner (the group founder) for each group. Once the commissioner names the group, they just need to set a group password and any premium member who knows the password and group ID number can enter the group.

Winning Strategy

There is a great deal of strategy that goes into the game of Pick-em' Challenge. Some players wish to select their favorite teams to win, while other managers will spend hours researching the statistics for each match-up. There are many different strategies that have won. Football's a great sport, so whatever your strategy, remember to have fun and enjoy the game.

Some other notes:

• All team selections must be completed prior to the kickoff each game.
• Any team attempting to make selection changes close to the deadline, risks the chance of not getting in his/her changes on time.
• We are not responsible for late entries, server congestion, faulty Internet connections, etc., which may cause your picks not to be made.
• We will post the scores every Tuesday morning unless unforeseen complications arise.
• Any scoring disputes must be called to our attention via customer support by Wednesday night at 11pm EST.
• Dell Sports, Inc. reserves the right to deny any scoring inaccuracies at any time due to circumstances beyond our control. See our Terms & Conditions page.
• Any team caught or suspected of system tampering, game interference or breaking our terms and conditions, may be removed from the game at any time and without notice. We also reserve the right to pursue legal and criminal action upon those member(s).
• All scores are final.

Eligibility

To be eligible to win a prize if so offered in a Dell Sports Pick-em' Challenge game entrants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of registration and be a legal resident of the continental United States, the District of Columbia or Canada. By registering to play, Entrants agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of these Official Rules and Regulations (the "Official Rules"). By registering to play, Entrants also agree to be bound by all of the terms and conditions of the Game Rules and Game Documentation (the "Game Rules") applicable to the Game as provided by Dell Sports Inc. Dell Sports reserves the right to make non-material changes to these Official Rules at any time during the Game. The Game is not to be used in connection with any form of gambling or the promotion of gambling. Employees, officers, directors, agents, and representatives of Dell Sports Inc. and their parents, affiliates and subsidiaries, and each of their respective immediate family (defined as parents, spouse, children, siblings, and grandparents) and any person residing in the same household as such and sponsors and affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies of Dell Sports are NOT eligible to win any prizes.

General Conditions

By entering, each entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these rules and by the decision of the judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the prizewinners. No substitutions, or transfer of prizes (if applicable), are permitted except by Dell Sports Inc. We, at Dell Sports Inc., reserve the right to substitute a prize (if applicable) for one of equal or greater value in the event that an advertised prize is unavailable. The listed cash prizes (if applicable) depend on a predetermined number of entrants playing the game(s). Dell Sports reserves the right to change the stated prizes, at any time without notice, if the number of actual entrants is less then our predetermined number.

Rules/Winners Information

All prize winners(if applicable) may be required to submit valid identification including their photo, social security number, and legal identification to Dell Sports, Inc. and to execute an affidavit of eligibility and a liability/publicity release within thirty (30) days following first attempted notification. They will also be required complete tax Form 1099-M in order to comply with Federal and State tax laws. Failure to comply within this time period may result in disqualification and awarding of the prize to the entrant with the next highest score. Contestants agree to Dell Sports, Inc.'s use of their names and likeness for advertising and publicity purposes, without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners. Prizes (if applicable) are not transferable and must be accepted as awarded, no cash equivalents, no substitutes.

It is the responsibility of the Entrant to keep all mailing and e-mail information up-to-date and accurate. Winners should allow up to 6-8 weeks after they return their signed, notarized affidavit to receive their prize. Prize is not transferable. No prize substitution except at Dell Sports sole discretion due to prize unavailability for any reason and only then for prize of comparable value. Dell Sports reserves the right to award the actual cash equivalent of any prize in lieu of the prize itself. Prize returned as undeliverable or otherwise not claimed within fourteen (14) days after being sent will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner. All entries will be declared made by the registered user of the e-mail address.

By accepting a prize (if applicable), the winner grants permission to Dell Sports and Promoter (which permission shall be confirmed in writing upon the request of Dell Sports and/or Promoter) to use their names, photographs, likeness, voices, prize information and/or biographical information for publicity, advertising, trade and promotional purposes at any time or times, worldwide and on the World Wide Web without further compensation, or notice, review or approval, unless prohibited by law. If a winner is disqualified, an alternate winner will be selected. Sponsor is only obligated to contact a single alternate. In all instances in which Sponsor notifies, or seeks to deliver a prize to or otherwise attempts to contact an alternate winner, if such alternate winner is unavailable or disqualified or if the prize is returned as undeliverable, within the time frames otherwise allotted for the initially selected winner, then Sponsor may choose either not to award the prize or to donate it to another person or entity, in its sole discretion.

Entrants acknowledge that dell sports, promoter and their respective agencies have neither made nor are in any manner responsible for any warranty, representation or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to any prize, including but not limited to its quality. Except for a standard limited warranty that the prize manufacturer may include with the prize. The prize is awarded "as is" and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, (including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose).

For an additional copy of the Official Rules, please click on the terms and conditions link at the bottom of our Web site. This may be printed and read at your convenience.

Notification

Game winners must notify Dell Sports by e-mail or regular mail within thirty (30) days after the end of the contest. Winners may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and acceptance of these legal restrictions and a publicity/liability release (unless prohibited by law) within thirty (30) days following the winners notification to Dell Sports. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Any prize notification returned as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

This Game may not be used in connection with any form of gambling. The Game is strictly for entertainment purposes only.

Dell Sports, Inc. is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected on-line entries or transactions, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a contestant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions. Dell Sports, Inc. reserves the right to halt or modify the contest at any time during the contest period if events beyond their control compromise the contest's fairness or integrity. In the event that a scheduled game is canceled or preempted for any reason, no points will be awarded for the affected Pro Football teams.

Dell Sports, Inc. is not responsible for typographical or other human or technical errors in the offer or administration of this contest, including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules, the selection and announcement of the winner or the distribution of the prizes.

Dell Sports, Inc., in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participating in the contest, refuse to award points or prizes, and require the return of any prizes, if entrant engages in any conduct Dell Sports, Inc. deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the contest or detrimental to other entrants. Such improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, falsifying personal information required during contest registration or prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating points or prizes through methods such as automated computer scripts or other programming techniques, allowing others to use the entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating points or prizes, tampering with Dell Sports, Inc.'s administration of this promotion, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble, recompile or otherwise tamper with the computer programs on this Web site. Entrant further acknowledges that the forfeiture of prize(s) and/or return of any prize(s) shall in no way prevent Dell Sports, Inc. from pursuing other avenues of recourse such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct.

Dell Sports, Inc. reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the contest. This contest is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NFL or any NFL team. This is a skill contest designed to increase consumer awareness of, and interest in, Dell Sports Inc. This contest may not be used for any form of gambling.

Internet Problems

If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, terrorism, work stoppage, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Dell Sports, Inc. which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this contest, Dell Sports, Inc. reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest. In such event, Dell Sports, Inc. further reserves the right to award prizes to the player with the most points as of the termination date.

Technology Problems

Dell Sports, Inc. 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 or transactions. Dell Sports, Inc. is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this contest.

Caution: any attempt by a contestant to deliberately damage any web site or undermine the legitimate operation of the game is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Dell Sports, Inc. reserves the right to seek damages from any such contestant to the fullest extent permitted by law.

In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

In the event that any legal or regulatory authority challenges the contest, Dell Sports, Inc. reserves the right to discontinue or modify the Contest, or to disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, Dell Sports, Inc. shall have no liability to any players who are disqualified due to such an action.

Email Change Of Address Policy

It is the sole responsibility of the Entrant to notify the Sponsor in the event of his or her email address changing. To do so, click on the edit profile link on your member home page. Failure to maintain a valid email address will result in that user’s disqualification and the forfeiture of any prizes won in conjunction of this contest.

False Registration

Dell Sports reserves the right to disqualify any user who has registered with non valid or false information. To qualify for any prize, users must have valid registration information by the contest ending date. Any information that is inaccurate or misleading will result in that user’s disqualification and the forfeiture of any prizes won in conjunction of this contest.

Disclaimer
Dell Sports Inc., and this Web site, are in no way connected with, affiliated with or endorsed by Dell Computers, Dell Publishing, the NFL, or any of its affiliated teams, players, or players union. All references to any professional football name or term is purely nominative and not intended to imply connection affiliation or endorsement.