MLT20 AI Buildathon — Terms & Conditions

1.1WNCP AI operates the Site, processes registrations, and is your contracting party under these Terms.

1.2MLT is an event partner that contributes programming, community, and the finalist showcase at MLT's annual conference. MLT is not a party to these Terms with respect to your use of the Site.

1.3The Buildathon is an informal joint initiative. There is no formal written partnership between WNCP AI and MLT for purposes of these Terms. Each party is responsible only for its own conduct, communications, and obligations. Neither party guarantees, indemnifies, or is jointly liable for the acts or omissions of the other. References to “Organizers” mean WNCP AI and MLT acting in their respective independent capacities, not as partners, joint venturers, or agents of one another.

2.1You must be at least 18 years old to register, submit a project, or receive a prize. Participants under 18 may attend public sessions only with verifiable parental or legal-guardian consent and are not eligible for prizes.

2.2You must have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement in your jurisdiction.

2.3You may not participate if you are: (a) located in, organized under the laws of, or ordinarily resident in a country or region subject to comprehensive U.S. sanctions (currently including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine); (b) on the U.S. Treasury Department's Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List, the U.S. Commerce Department's Denied Persons or Entity List, or any other U.S. government restricted-party list; or (c) otherwise prohibited from receiving goods or services under U.S. export-control or sanctions laws.

2.4Employees, contractors, officers, and immediate family members of WNCP AI and MLT are eligible to participate but are not eligible to win prizes or be selected as finalists.

2.5Participation is void where prohibited or restricted by law.

3.1You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep that information updated.

3.2You are responsible for safeguarding any credentials associated with your participation and for all activity under your registration.

3.3We may refuse, suspend, or cancel any registration at our sole discretion, including for violation of these Terms, applicable law, or the Code of Conduct.

5.1You retain ownership. You and your team retain all right, title, and interest in and to the projects, code, models, designs, content, and materials you submit (each, a “Submission”), subject only to the licenses granted in Section 6.

5.2Your representations. By submitting, you represent and warrant that: (a) the Submission is your original work, or you have all rights, licenses, consents, and permissions necessary to submit it; (b) the Submission does not infringe, misappropriate, or violate any third party’s intellectual property, privacy, publicity, contract, or other rights; (c) you have the right to grant the licenses in Section 6; (d) any open-source components are used in compliance with their licenses, and you have disclosed material open-source dependencies on request; (e) any AI models, training data, datasets, or third-party APIs incorporated in the Submission are used in compliance with their applicable terms and licenses; and (f) the Submission contains no malware, illegal content, or material that violates the Code of Conduct.

5.3No confidential information. Do not include trade secrets, regulated personal data, or material you consider confidential in any Submission. Submissions may be reviewed by judges, mentors, sponsors, or made public during showcase. We have no obligation of confidentiality with respect to Submissions.

6.1You grant WNCP AI and MLT, and their respective successors, contractors, and service providers acting on their behalf, a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid-up, sublicensable, perpetual, and irrevocable license to: (a) host, store, reproduce, run, modify, adapt, translate, and create derivative works of the Submission and related materials for the limited purpose of operating, judging, and administering the Buildathon; (b) publicly display, perform, distribute, and promote the Submission and related materials (including project name, description, screenshots, demo recordings, and a reasonable summary of the team) in connection with the Buildathon and the Organizers’ marketing, recruiting, fundraising, and educational activities, in any media now known or later developed; and (c) use your name, likeness, voice, biographical information, photograph, video footage, and team affiliation for the purposes described in (a) and (b).

6.2The license in 6.1 survives termination of these Terms and your participation. It does not transfer ownership of the Submission and does not give the Organizers the right to claim authorship of your work.

6.3Where you object to a specific marketing use on reasonable grounds, contact damien@wncp.ai and we will consider the request in good faith, but we are not obligated to remove materials already published, distributed, or archived.

7.1Prizes, if any, are described on the Site. Organizers may modify, substitute, or cancel any prize at any time for any reason, including supply, sponsor, or legal constraints. Prizes are awarded as-is, with no warranty.

7.2Prizes are not guaranteed. We may decline to award some or all prizes if, in our reasonable judgment, no Submission meets the criteria, if eligibility cannot be verified, or if circumstances make award impracticable.

7.3Winners may be required to sign an eligibility affidavit, IRS Form W-9 or W-8BEN, a publicity release, and any other documentation we reasonably request before a prize is delivered. Failure to return required documentation within a reasonable time may result in forfeiture.

7.4You are solely responsible for any taxes, duties, or fees associated with a prize. Cash equivalents are not offered unless specified.

7.5Prizes are non-transferable. Sponsor-provided prizes are subject to the sponsor's separate terms.

8.1Judging criteria are described on the Site and may include technical execution, creativity, relevance to the prompt area, social impact, and presentation quality.

8.2Judging is subjective and decisions of the judges and Organizers are final and binding. We do not guarantee any particular outcome, ranking, feedback, or visibility.

8.3We may use independent judges, mentors, sponsor representatives, and Organizer staff. Conflicts of interest will be managed at our discretion. Judging methodology and weights may change at any time.

8.4We do not promise that judging will be free of error, bias, or imperfection. To the maximum extent permitted by law, you waive any claim arising from judging outcomes.

9.1As described in Section 6.1(c), you grant Organizers the right to use your name, likeness, voice, photograph, video, biographical information, team affiliation, project name, and Submission excerpts in marketing, recruiting, press releases, social media, blog posts, email newsletters, conference materials, sponsor reports, and case studies, in perpetuity and without further compensation.

9.2If you are selected as a finalist, you agree that finalist status, your name, your team, your project, and a demo recording may be featured prominently in MLT’s annual conference materials and WNCP AI’s marketing channels.

9.3You may decline to appear in identifiable photography or video at in-person events by notifying staff in advance, but you may not opt out of the licenses in Section 6 once a Submission is made.

10.1The Site and the Buildathon rely on third-party platforms and services (for example, hosting providers, databases, email providers, video conferencing, code repositories, judging tools, and conference platforms). Your use of those services is governed by the respective providers' terms and privacy policies.

10.2Organizers do not control and are not responsible for third-party services, their availability, security, content, or actions. Links from the Site to third-party sites are provided for convenience only.

10.3If a Submission depends on a third-party API or model, you are responsible for compliance with that provider's terms, including any rate limits, content restrictions, and cost obligations.

14.1Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

14.2Informal resolution. Before filing any claim, you agree to first contact us at damien@wncp.ai and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least sixty (60) days.

14.3Binding arbitration. Except for claims that qualify for small-claims court and except for actions to protect intellectual property rights, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Buildathon shall be resolved by final and binding arbitration, administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules and Procedures, conducted in the English language. The seat of arbitration shall be Wilmington, Delaware. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

14.4Class-action waiver. YOU AND WNCP AI AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims and may not preside over any form of representative or class proceeding.

14.5Opt-out. You may opt out of Sections 14.3 and 14.4 by sending written notice to damien@wncp.ai within thirty (30) days of first agreeing to these Terms, with the subject line “Arbitration Opt-Out.” If you opt out, disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Wilmington, Delaware, and you and we consent to personal jurisdiction there.

14.6Severability of arbitration provisions. If the class-action waiver is found unenforceable as to any claim, that claim must be brought in court, but the remainder of Section 14 remains in effect.

15.1We may modify these Terms at any time by posting the updated version on the Site and updating the "Effective date." Material changes will be highlighted where reasonably feasible. Continued participation after changes constitutes acceptance.

15.2We may modify, postpone, suspend, or cancel the Buildathon or any portion of it (including dates, format, prompt areas, prizes, judging, and finalist showcase) at any time without liability.

15.3We may terminate or suspend your participation at any time for any reason, with or without notice. Sections that by their nature should survive termination (including Sections 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16) will survive.

16.1Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any official rules or guidelines posted on the Site, are the entire agreement between you and WNCP AI regarding the Buildathon and supersede prior agreements.

16.2No waiver. Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver. No waiver is effective unless in writing.

16.3Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remainder remains in effect, and the unenforceable provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary.

16.4Assignment. You may not assign these Terms. We may assign them without restriction. Any prohibited assignment is void.

16.5No agency. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, or agency relationship between you and any Organizer, or between the two Organizers.

16.6Notices. We may send notices to the email address you provided. Notices to us must be sent to damien@wncp.ai.