Yahoo! Small Business Answers Center Contest Official Rules

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE THIRD EVENT HAS MOVED TO OCTOBER 5-7, 2009.

THE FOLLOWING CONTEST IS INTENDED FOR PLAY IN THE FIFTY UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ONLY (COLLECTIVELY, THE "ELIGIBILITY AREA") AND SHALL ONLY BE CONSTRUED AND EVALUATED ACCORDING TO UNITED STATES LAW. DO NOT ENTER THIS CONTEST IF YOU ARE NOT LOCATED IN, AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF, THE ELIGIBILITY AREA.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. REDEMPTION OF YAHOO! SEARCH MARKETING PRIZE MUST COMPLY WITH YAHOO!'S ADVERTISING TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND ADVERTISING GUIDELINES OR PRIZE WILL BE FORFEITTED.

1. Eligibility: You must be a legal resident of the Eligibility Area and 18 years or older or the age of majority in your state of residence at the time of entry. Void in overseas U.S. territories, possessions, commonwealths and military installations, and where prohibited by law. Employees and agents of Yahoo! Inc. ("Sponsor"), Bank of America Corporation, and each of their respective affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotional agencies, any other prize sponsor, and any entity involved in the development, production, implementation, administration or fulfillment of the Contest (all of the foregoing, together with Yahoo!, collectively referred to as "Promotion Entities"), and the immediate family members and persons living in the same household as such individuals, whether related or not, are not eligible to participate or win. To redeem Yahoo! Search Marketing Prize, entrants and, as applicable, their businesses, must be based in the fifty United Stated or District of Columbia and during the entire period of this Promotion, must remain in business and be in full compliance with all applicable federal, state and/or local business licensing requirements applicable to the business's category of business activity. An entrant is not eligible if her/their business is an adult- or gambling-related business, violates any laws, rules or regulations, or which Yahoo! determines, in its sole discretion, is inappropriate for sale through the services provided by Yahoo! The final determination as to whether any business complies with the above requirements is at the sole discretion of the Sponsor.
2. How To Enter: The Contest consists of four separate contests with distinct entry periods: Contest 1 begins at 12:01 AM PT on June 22, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM PT on June 24, 2009; Contest 2 begins at 12:01 AM PT on August 10, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM PT on August 12, 2009; Contest 3 begins at 12:01 AM PT on October 5, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM PT on October 7, 2009; Contest 4 begins at 12:01 AM PT on November 16, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM PT on November 18, 2009. The four entry periods are collectively referred to as the "Entry Period". To enter, visit the Small Business Answers Center, located at http://smallbusinessanswers.yahoo.com, during the Entry Period and enter your Yahoo! ID and question, then check the opt-in box agreeing to the Official Rules. Optionally, you may also enter additional question detail. Please make sure your question complies with the Yahoo! Answers Community Guidelines, located at http://answers.yahoo.com/info/community_guidelines. If you are not an existing Yahoo! account holder, follow the instructions to register for a free Yahoo! ID. Follow the instructions to completely fill out and submit the ID registration form. You will then be asked to provide your first and last name, physical mailing address (no post office boxes), telephone number, and email address. You may also be asked to answer optional questions; however, they need not be answered in order to be eligible for the Contest. All Online Entries must be received by 11:59 PM PT on each end date of the Entry Period.
   
   For purposes of these Official Rules, "receipt" of an Online Entry occurs when Yahoo!'s servers record the entry information upon clicking the "Submit Entry" button. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of the holder of the Yahoo! ID, dispute will be resolved in favor of the individual who is both the authorized holder of the Yahoo! ID and password associated with the account (based upon information submitted at the time the account was created or updated upon registration for this Contest) and, if available, the "authorized email account holder" of the "alternate email address" provided when the Yahoo! ID was created. "Authorized email account holder" is defined as the natural person assigned an email address by an internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (i.e., business, educational institution) responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. If there is a discrepancy between the name of the person listed as the authorized holder of the Yahoo! ID and the authorized email account holder of the alternate email address provided when the Yahoo! ID was created, that Yahoo! ID will be disqualified and prize will be forfeited. Potential prize winner may be required to provide Promotion Entities with proof that he/she is the authorized Account holder as described above.
   
   You may enter as many times as you would like. The submission of an entry is solely the responsibility of the entrant. Entries may only be made according to the method described above. Proof of sending (such as an automated computer receipt confirming delivery of email, "thanks for entering" message, or post office receipt) does not constitute proof of actual receipt by Yahoo! of an entry for purposes of these Official Rules. Automated entries (including but not limited to entries submitted using any bot, script, macro, or Contest service), copies, third party entries, facsimiles and/or mechanical reproductions are not permitted and will be disqualified. Only eligible entries actually received by Yahoo! before the end of the specified Entry Period will be included in the prize drawing. Illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, garbled, or mutilated entries will be disqualified. All entries become the property of Yahoo!, and none will be acknowledged or returned.
3. Conduct: By entering the Contest, entrants agree to comply with and be bound by these Official Rules. The Official Rules will be posted at the Contest website throughout the Contest. Failure to comply with these Official Rules may result in disqualification from the Contest. Entrants further agree to comply with and be bound by the decisions of the judges, which will be final and binding in all respects. Yahoo! reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be: (a) tampering or attempting to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or any Yahoo! website; (b) violating the Official Rules; (c) violating the terms of service, conditions of use and/or general rules or guidelines of any Yahoo! property or service; or (d) acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY AN ENTRANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, YAHOO! RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
4. Prizes: Four (4) Prize winners, one per Entry Period, will each receive a prize package that includes the following: $20,000 worth of Yahoo! Search Marketing credit and a 45-minute phone consultation with one of Yahoo!'s Small Business experts. Yahoo! Search Marketing Credit must be used in accordance with the Yahoo! Advertising Terms and Conditions, located at http://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/advertising/masterterms/masterterms-322.html, and the Editorial Guidelines, located at http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/ysm/sps/start/editorial/editorial.html.
   
   Winners will receive a $20,000 credit to their Yahoo! Search Marketing account for use on Yahoo! Search. Winners who have an existing Yahoo! Search Marketing account will receive a $20,000 credit to their account. Winners who do not have an existing Yahoo! Search Marketing account will need to create an account. Once the credit is available in the account, the winner will have 12 months to use the credit on Yahoo! Search.
   
   Phone consultation will be scheduled at a date/time mutually acceptable to winners and the expert(s) within 90 days of winner notification.
   
   The following applies to all prizes: Approximate retail value of all prizes: $20,375.00 Limit one prize per winner. Prizes cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. Prizes may not be transferred or assigned except by Sponsor. Only listed prizes will be awarded and no substitutions, cash equivalents or redemptions will be made, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute any prize package with another prize of equal or greater value in the event that the advertised prize (or any component thereof) is not available. Expenses not specifically stated above, together with the reporting and payment of all applicable taxes, fees, and/or surcharges, if any, arising out of, or resulting from, acceptance or use of a prize, are the sole responsibility of the winner of that prize. Yahoo! expressly disclaims any responsibility or liability for injury or loss to any person or property relating to the delivery and/or subsequent use of the prizes awarded. Yahoo! makes no representations or warranties concerning the appearance, safety, or performance of any prize awarded. Restrictions, conditions, and limitations apply. Promotion Entities will not replace any lost or stolen prize items.
5. Judging and Winner Notification: On or around June 29, 2009, August 17, 2009, September 5, 2009 and November 3, 2009, potential winners will be selected by a panel of qualified judges based on the following judging criteria: adherence to theme (50%), creativity (25%) and public appeal (25%). Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. The decisions of the judges shall be final.
   
   Potential winners will be notified within three days after judging date via email, U.S. mail, telephone and/or by overnight courier, using the contact information associated with the winners' Yahoo! Account. Each prize winner may be required to sign, notarize and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability/Publicity Release (except where prohibited by law) and provide any additional information (such as social security number), that may be required by Promotion Entities. Except where prohibited by law, potential winners must return all such required documents within three days following attempted notification or prize may be forfeited. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable, or inability of Promotion Entities to contact a potential winner may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner by random drawing. If applicable, winner may be issued an IRS Form 1099 which documents the value of the prize for tax purposes. Any difference between actual value of a prize and the approximated value of a prize as stated in these Official Rules will not be awarded.
6. General Conditions: This Contest is governed by the laws of the United States. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply.
   
   By entering, participants: (a) release and hold harmless Promotion Entities, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to persons, including death, or property damage resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize, participation in this promotion, or while traveling to, preparing for, or participating in any prize-related activity, and (b) grant to Yahoo! the right to use and publish their proper name and state online and in print, or any other media, in connection with the Contest.
   
   Except where prohibited by law, a winner's acceptance of a prize constitutes permission for Promotion Entities to use such winner's name, address (city and state only), statements, photograph, voice and/or likeness for any advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Contest without further compensation, consideration, review or consent.
7. Limitations of Liability: Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, illegible, or mutilated entries, or for theft, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries. Promotion Entities are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users, any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest, or any technical or human error which may occur in the processing of submissions in the Contest. Promotion Entities assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, failures or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, providers, computer equipment, software, email, players or browsers, whether on account of technical problems, traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, or on account of any combination of the foregoing. Promotion Entities are not responsible for any injury or damage to participants or to any computer related to or resulting from participating or downloading materials in this Contest. If, for any reason, the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of Promotion Entities which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Contest, Yahoo! reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and select winners from among all eligible entries received prior to the cancellation.
8. Privacy: By entering the Contest, you agree to Yahoo!'s use of your personal information as described in Yahoo!'s Privacy Policy, located at http://privacy.yahoo.com/privacy/us/promo/index.html.
9. Winners List: The names of the prize winners may be obtained after December 1, 2009 and no later than March 1, 2010 by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Yahoo! Small Business Answers Center Contest, Winners List Requests, PO Box 3646, Dept. 20, St. Cloud, MN 56397-3646.
10. Sponsor: Yahoo! Inc., 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089.