WhitePages.com API Contest: Power to the People (Search)!

Are you a “people-centered” developer? Do you build apps and mashups that make it easier for people to communicate with, or learn about, other people?

We’re people-centered developers too, and we’re doing the same thing. So for the first time, we at WhitePages.com have made our people search functionality and data available to the public through a free API.

So what are you going to do with it? You have access to data for millions of people in the United States. (We cover 80% of all U.S. adults.) It's all about accessing information about people you care about (friends, neighbors, colleagues) and making it available to any application you want to build.

For example, you could:

• Provide a popup with contact information for every person’s name
• Plot people on a map
• And many things we haven’t thought about!

To help kick this off, we have some perks: we’re giving away prizes for the best iPhone™* application and the best social networking application.

Winners will receive their choice of one 50” Pioneer® KURO™‡ PDP-5080 HD plasma TV or one 15” 2.4GHz Apple® MacBook®§ Pro. Read on for more information!

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Overview

WhitePages.com is the No. 1 destination for finding and connecting people online. Our data covers 80 percent of U.S. adults — that's more than 180 million people. More than 20 million users do hundreds of millions of searches each month.

We’ve worked hard to build this data set, and now we’re opening it up to developers via a simple, straightforward XML API.

WhitePages.com API gives you the ability to submit three types of searches against WhitePages.com data:

• Find Person: Search by a person's name and location to find the person’s complete address and phone number.
  
• Reverse Phone: Search by phone number to find the related name and address.
  
• Reverse Address: Search by street address to find the related name and phone number.

All of the documentation for the API is available here.

You can use the API to create consumer applications, Web sites, and mashups, including integrating into existing applications or combining with other web service APIs. The WhitePages.com API cannot be used to create applications for business end-users. For complete information on restricted users, please review the API Terms of Use.

Contest

While we’re hoping you find many different uses for the API, we’re running a contest in two areas: best iPhone application and best social networking application.

The winner in each area will have their choice of either:

• One 50” Pioneer KURO PDP-5080 HD plasma TV, or
• One 15” 2.4GHz Apple MacBook Pro

Entries will be judged by the WhitePages.com Engineering Team on the following criteria:

• Use of the WhitePages.com API
• Appropriateness for the category
• Usefulness
• Ease of use
• Creativity
• Quality

Winners are encouraged to make their applications available to the public on the Web or for download. The winning social networking application may be made available via the WhitePages.com Developer Portal subject to mutual agreement between the winning application’s developer and us.

Our contest ends before iPhone applications are available for download to the iPhone. We will test iPhone apps on the iPhone simulator for Macintosh®† if we are unable to test them on a phone.

Full rules are at Contest Rules below.

How to Submit

Visit the WhitePages.com Developer Portal, browse the documentation and register for a user account. Apply for an API key, and then join the discussion in our Forum.

All done with your app? Just complete the Entry Form and submit your entry to API-Contest@whitepages.com. Be sure to include your name and contact info (phone, mailing address, email), a description of your entry, any Web services used, and a URL address or demo overview (if it is a desktop app or needs installation files).

Timing

There's no time like the present so get started now! The contest begins Monday, March 31, 2008. You must have a WhitePages.com Developer user account, and an API key, to enter.

Submissions must be made by Tuesday, July 15, 2008. Winners will be notified by email on or around Thursday, July 31, 2008.

Want to find out more about the contest? Need some help? Check out our API Forum for details, and post any questions you have.

Contest Rules

WHITEPAGES.COM, INC.
API CONTEST OFFICIAL RULES

The WhitePages.com API Contest (the “Contest”) is a skill game in which participants are asked to create a consumer iPhone application or social networking application using the WhitePages.com API, and submit it for consideration based on the criteria listed below. No purchase is necessary to enter or win.

Please read these rules (the “Official Rules”) before entering the Contest. By entering the Contest, you agree to be bound by the Official Rules and represent that you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements set forth herein.

ELIGIBILITY

The Contest is open to individuals who are legal residents of the U.S., except for Puerto Rico and Guam, age eighteen (18) or older. The Contest is void where prohibited by law. Directors, officers, and employees of WhitePages.com, Inc. (the “Sponsor”) and any of its subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, professional advisors, advertising and promotional agencies, and members of their households are not eligible to participate in the Contest.

HOW TO ENTER

Between 12:00:01 AM PST on March 31, 2008 and 11:59:59 on July 15, 2008 (the “Contest Period”), participants may submit entries into the Contest online. Participants must follow the instructions on the Contest page of WhitePages.com Developer Portal (http://developer.whitepages.com/contest) and submit an entry which must include, at a minimum, the following: (i) name, telephone number, mailing address, and email address; (ii) a description of the application; and (iii) a consumer iPhone application or social networking application that utilizes the WhitePages.com API (if the application is available online, the entry should include a link to the application). If a participant submits an entry with a link to their application, they must host the source code for their application on a publicly available website for six (6) months following the end of the Contest Period. Participants may submit multiple entries, so long as each is substantially unique from the others and submitted separately along with all other required information. Entries: (i) submitted in any manner other than as specified; (ii) submitted before or after the Contest Period; or (iii) that are incomplete, defective, forged, or irregular in any way or not in compliance with these Official Rules will be disqualified. Sponsor’s servers and clock shall serve as the official clock for the Contest, and participant’s proof of submission does not constitute proof of receipt by Sponsor. Entry materials will not be returned.

All applications submitted for consideration in the Contest must be the original work of the participant. Modifying, enhancing, or altering a third-party’s pre-existing work does not constitute an original work. Any application submitted for consideration must also have been created solely by the participant. Applications submitted cannot: (i) violate the intellectual property rights (copyright, patent, trademark, etc.) of any third party; (ii) defame or invade the publicity or privacy rights of any person, living or deceased; or (iii) otherwise infringe upon any person’s or entity’s personal or proprietary rights. Each participant must have a non-restricted right to submit the application for consideration. Any participant whose work includes elements not owned by the participant (including, but not limited to, trademarks and logos) must be able to provide legal releases for such use in a form satisfactory to the judges. Applications must not be obscene, indecent, or unsuitable for publication in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Use of the WhitePages.com API in applications must comply with the WhitePages.com API Terms of Use (http://developer.whitepages.com/page/API_terms_of_use). All applications that violate these Official Rules, applicable laws, or participant’s employer’s policies will be deemed ineligible.

None of the entry materials and information submitted by participants (except for personally identifiable information) will be treated as confidential, so please do not submit proprietary information. Subject to any exceptions herein as to the rights to disseminate or use such information, Sponsor will treat all personally identifiable information in a manner consistent with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy (http://www.whitepages.com/privacy/). Participants further agree that personally identifiable information may be processed, stored, and otherwise used for the purposes of the Contest, including, but not limited to, checking participant’s identity, postal address, and telephone number, or to otherwise verify eligibility to participate.

JUDGING CRITERIA

All qualified entries in each category (iPhone application and social networking application) will be evaluated and ranked by a panel of qualified Sponsor judges based on the following criteria:

• Use of the WhitePages.com API
• Appropriateness for the category
• Usefulness
• Ease of use
• Creativity
• Quality

If the event that iPhone applications cannot be downloaded to the iPhone for testing, the judges will test submitted iPhone applications on the iPhone simulator for Macintosh computers.

The judges’ decisions are final and binding.

Sponsor may request additional information from participants as may be necessary to judge the entries. Participants must respond to such requests within seven (7) calendar days from the time the request is made. Failure to respond may result in participant’s entry being disqualified from consideration.

WINNER SELECTION/PRIZES

On or around July 31, 2008, one (1) winner per category will be announced on the WhitePages.com Developer Portal and notified via email. Winners may select their prize from the following options:

• a 50” Pioneer KURO PDP-5080 HD Plasma TV (verifiable retail value of $2,249.00); or
• a 15” 2.4GHZ Apple MacBook Pro (verifiable retail value of $1,999.99).

All prizes will be awarded provided that a sufficient number of qualified entries are received in each category. Prizes are awarded without warranty of any kind from Sponsor, express or implied, without limitation. Winners will be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Publicity Release and provide a completed W-9 to Sponsor. If a winner: (i) is determined to be ineligible; (ii) cannot be contacted; (iii) fails to claim a prize within seven (7) calendar days after delivery of notification; (iv) fails to return the completed Affidavit of Eligibility/Publicity Release and W-9 within fourteen (14) calendar days of delivery notification of their selection for a prize; (v) declines a prize for any reason; or (vi) cannot be awarded a prize under their employer’s policies, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.

By entering the Contest, participants grant Sponsor and its affiliates, the rights, without limitation, or further permission or compensation, to: (i) use and publish their name, likeness; and (ii) use, create, reproduce, modify, publish and distribute information about their applications. Winners and their applications will be announced and featured on the WhitePages.com Developer Portal and possibly on Sponsor’s websites. By accepting a prize, winners grant Sponsor and its affiliates, the rights, without limitation or further permission or compensation, to: (i) use and publish their name and likeness; (ii) use, create, reproduce, modify, publish, and distribute information about their applications; and (iii) use, reproduce, publish, and distribute the code for the applications or the link to the applications if hosted online by the winners. Rights granted by participants and winners are for advertising and promotional purposes in perpetuity and in any medium Sponsor sees fit, including, but not limited to, website, television, radio, or printed materials.

Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if any prizes is unavailable for any reason. No barter, transfer, or assignment of any prize is permitted, except by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Sponsor will pay shipping and handling fees required to deliver the prizes to the winners, but winners will be responsible for any applicable taxes, withholding, and reporting requirements on their acceptance and/or use of a prize.

GENERAL CONDITIONS

By submitting an entry, each participant grants Sponsor and the judges an unrestricted right to use, review, assess, test, and otherwise analyze the entries and all of their content in connection with the Contest. Participants agree not to instigate, support, maintain or authorize any action, or lawsuit against Sponsor on the ground that any use of the entry materials infringes any of the participants’ rights as creators of the entry materials.

Participants acknowledge that Sponsor may currently, or in the future, be developing internally, or receiving from a third-party, information or applications similar to those submitted by participants. Nothing contained in these Official Rules will be construed as a representation or agreement that Sponsor will not develop or have developed products, concepts, systems, or techniques that are similar to or that compete with the products, concepts, systems, or techniques contemplated by or embodied in any of the entry materials. Further, Sponsor shall be free to use for any purpose the residuals resulting from access to work with entries. The term “residuals” means information in intangible form, which is retained in memory by persons who have had access to the applications, including ideas, concepts, know-how, or techniques contained therein. Sponsor shall have no obligation to limit or restrict the assignment of such persons or to pay royalties for any work resulting from the use of residuals. Nothing in this paragraph shall not be deemed to grant Sponsor a license under the participants’ intellectual property rights.

The submitted applications must not be, in whole or in part, governed by any license that requires, as a condition of use, modification, or distribution of software, that such software or other software combined or distributed with such software be: (i) disclosed or distributed in source code form, (ii) licensed for the purpose of making derivative works, or (iii) redistributable at no charge.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in these Official Rules or elsewhere, Sponsor makes available the Contest and any prizes on an “as is” basis and disclaims all warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose in connection therewith. Sponsor and its subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, professional advisors, advertising and promotional agencies, and directors, officers, and employees thereof, shall not be responsible for: (i) lost, late, incomplete, illegible, garbled, or misdirected entries; (ii) inaccurate entry information, whether caused by participant or by any of the equipment or programming associated with the Contest; (iii) any errors or malfunctions that may occur; (iv) any condition caused by events beyond Sponsor’s control that may cause the Contest to be disrupted or corrupted; and (v) any error in any materials associated with the Contest. By entering the Contest, participants shall indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor and its subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, professional advisors, advertising and promotional agencies, and directors, officers, and employees thereof, from any and all claims, injuries, loss, damage, expenses, or liabilities of any kind arising out of or in connection with the Contest, participants’ participation in the Contest, or delivery, misdelivery, acceptance, possession, and use of, or inability to use, any prize. In no event will Sponsor be liable to a participant for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages arising out of, or in connection with the Contest, whether or not Sponsor has been advised, had reason to know, or in fact knew of the possibility of such damage. The total aggregate liability of Sponsor to participants, winners, or other third parties arising out of or in connection with the Contest, whether in tort, contract, or otherwise, shall not exceed the sum of one hundred dollars ($100.00).

The laws of the State of Washington govern the Contest and these Official Rules without reference to choice of law principles. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Any dispute regarding the Contest is exclusively subject to binding arbitration (with one arbitrator sitting) in Seattle, Washington pursuant to the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Participants hereby irrevocably waive any and all right to a trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to the Contest. Participants further waive any objection to venue in Seattle, Washington, whether such objection is based on lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue, forum non conveniens, or the like.

If for any reason, the Contest is not capable of being run as planned, the Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to changes these Official Rules, disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest. If the Contest is terminated early, the Sponsor may select winners based on the entries received prior to the termination date.

Participants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor in regards to the Contest. Any participant found to be acting in violation of these Official Rules may be disqualified in Sponsor’s sole discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the identity of a winner, the winning entry will be declared made by the license holder of the application submitted.

WINNER LIST

A list of winners will be posted on the Contest winners page of the WhitePages.com Developer Portal (http://developer.whitepages.com/api_gallery/winners) after July 31, 2008. A list of winners may also be obtained after the Contest Period by sending a request and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Winner List, 1301 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1600, Seattle, WA 98101.

SPONSOR

This contest is sponsored by WhitePages.com, Inc., 1301 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1600, Seattle, Washington, 98101.

Copyright © 2008 WhitePages.com, Inc. All rights reserved.