Now Accepting Applications for the 2015 Copyright Awareness Scholarship

February 17, 2015

Can you creatively tell us why copyright is important? If so, you could win up to $5,000! 

The National Music Council and the Music Publishers Association are looking for students to creatively present their viewpoints, in video format, on The Importance of Intellectual Property and Copyright Law.

Here are some questions you might want to think about when making your submission:
Who does copyright protect? Why is it important to protect intellectual property? What would the world be like if there were no protections for intellectual property? Why do you think people ignore copyright laws? What can other students learn from watching your video?

You can see previous winners on our YouTube channel here: http://youtube.com/MPAofUSA

Please read the complete rules below. Questions regarding the scholarship can be directed to [email protected].

 

OFFICIAL RULES OF THE NMC COPYRIGHT AWARENESS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

SPONSORED BY THE MPA

1. ELIGIBILITY: The NMC Copyright Awareness Scholarship Program Sponsored by the MPA for 2013 is open only to those legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia and individuals currently studying in one of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia pursuant to a valid F-1 Student Visa who are between thirteen (13) and twenty-five (25) years of age at the time of application and who are currently enrolled in an accredited secondary school or post-secondary institution of higher learning (college, university or trade school). Students must supply contact of school official so that enrollment can be confirmed.

Current employees, officers, directors and agents of Sponsor and their immediate family members (defined as spouse, parents, siblings and children) are not eligible to win. 

2. HOW TO ENTER: To enter, beginning February 1, 2015 go to www.mpa.org and follow the instructions for completing the Application and uploading your Submission.

Applications must be submitted by Monday, June 15, 2015 no later than 11:59 PM EST. No exceptions will be made to submit past this deadline.

Limit one (1) Application and Submission per person.  Written, pictorial, audio or video responses that are obscene, pornographic, defamatory or otherwise objectionable will be disqualified. All Applications and Submissions become the property of the Sponsor and will not be returned. Sponsor assumes no responsibility for lost, late, misdirected, or unintelligible entries. By submitting an Application and Submission, you fully and unconditionally accept and agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding.

The NMC and MPA are looking for students to creatively present their viewpoints, in VIDEO format, on The Importance of Intellectual Property and Copyright Law. All submissions must consist primarily of original material. If a submission contains copyrighted material (e.g., a song, a video clip) owned by another party, please submit evidence of permission to use that material. Submissions that contain copyrighted material but which do not include such evidence of permission to use that material will be automatically disqualified. 

*Videos must be in .mp4, .m4v, mov, or .wmv formats. Other formats will not be accepted.
*Files must be 8MB or less.
*Videos should be between thirty (30) seconds and three (3) minutes.
*Winners must be able to supply a high quality version of their video.
*Files uploaded must contain the name of the student.
Examples: jennifer_smith.m4v, john_harris.mov, jim_ellis_pirate_party.wmv. If files are not named appropriately they will not be viewed.

3. SELECTION OF POTENTIAL WINNERS: Sponsor is looking for Submissions that are well-constructed and clearly and creatively address the topic. On or about June 16, 2015, a qualified panel of judges will select three (3) potential winners. Winner we be notified by the end of July, 2015.

4. PUBLICITY: By submitting an Application and Submission, Applicant (or, if a minor, his/her parent or legal guardian) agrees that Sponsor may, without any limitation or further compensation or notice, use his or her name, voice and/or likeness in any and all media, worldwide, for the purpose of advertising and promoting the Website, the Sponsor, the Scholarship Program, or any other promotion, contest or sweepstakes of the Sponsor. 

5. OWNERSHIP: By submitting an Application and Submission, Applicant (or, if a minor, his/her parent or legal guardian) grants to Sponsor a worldwide perpetual non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, distribute and exploit the material submitted, including the worldwide copyright and any extensions, renewals, revivals, reversions and restorations thereof, for any educational, promotional or other non-commercial purpose. Applicant further agrees that Sponsor and its designees may edit and modify the Submission and all elements of it in any and all media now known or not currently known, throughout the world in perpetuity without compensation, permission or notification to Applicant or any third party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicant shall be entitled to terminate the license granted to Sponsor hereunder upon written notice to Sponsor after a period of five (5) years from the date Applicant submits the Application and Submission.

6. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES/INDEMNIFICATION: Each person who enters this Scholarship Program represents and warrants to Sponsor as follows: (i) the Application and Submission, including any written, pictorial, audio and/or video content are the Applicant’s own original, previously unpublished, and previously unproduced work (except for any copyrighted material owned by third parties as to which all necessary permission to use such material has been obtained) and, as of the date of submission, are not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim; (ii) the Application and Submission, including any written, pictorial, audio and/or video content, neither infringes upon nor violates the intellectual property rights or other rights of any other person or entity; (iii) the Application and Submission, including any written, pictorial, audio, and/or video content, does not and will not violate any applicable laws, and meets the Official Rules set forth herein. Each Applicant hereby agrees to indemnify and hold the Sponsor harmless from and against any and all third party claims, actions or proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses relating to or arising out of any breach or alleged breach of any of the warranties, representations or agreements of Applicant hereunder.

7. NO OBLIGATION TO USE: Sponsor shall have no obligation (express or implied) to use any winning Submission, or to otherwise exploit a winning Submission or continue the development, production, distribution or exploitation thereof, and Sponsor may at any time abandon the use of the winning Submission for any reason, with or without legal justification or excuse, and the Scholarship prize recipients shall not be entitled to any damages or other relief by reason thereof.

8. LIST OF SCHOLARSHIP PRIZE RECIPIENTS: The names of the Scholarship prize recipients and their winning Submissions may be posted on Sponsor’s Websites. 

9. SPONSOR: The NMC Copyright Awareness Scholarship is sponsored by The Music Publishers Association of the United States and the National Music Council (NMC).