PLUG IN AND WIN CONTEST

OFFICIAL RULES

1.         No purchase necessary.  To be eligible to win, a participant must be a resident of Canada and of the age of majority in his or her province of residence. Any potential participant who is an employee of Microsoft Canada Co. (“Microsoft”), its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, licensors, service providers, content providers, employees, agents, officers, and directors (collectively, “Sponsors”) or anyone with whom such individuals are domiciled is ineligible to participate in the contest.

2.         In addition, in order to be eligible to win, each participant must connect their specially-marked  Xbox 360 console (marked “Xbox Live Ready”) to a broadband internet connection and activate their no-cost trial of  Xbox Live Gold online gaming and entertainment service (the “On-line System”) upon initial set up of the console (For complete details on how to do this visit http://www.xbox.com/pluginandwin).   For a no purchase entry option follow the mail-in rules set out below. For questions about the Privacy Policy, please e-mail privacypolicy@microsoft.com.  Participants must also read and agree to the terms and conditions for use of the On-line System before being permitted to enter the contest.

3.         To plug in to the On-line System and become eligible to play Xbox games in the on-line marketplace, each participant must download  the contest “gamer picture” from the Xbox Live Marketplace (Plug in and Win Gamer Pic) at no cost.  By downloading the contest gamer picture, the participant acknowledges that Microsoft will use the participant’s personal information to communicate with the participant about this contest via text message through the message centre within the Xbox Live Dashboard.  Please consult the contest Sponsor’s privacy policy at privacypolicy@microsoft.com for full details.  PLEASE DO NOT DOWNLOAD A GAMER PICTURE OR ENTER THIS CONTEST IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS COMMUNICATION AND THE TERMS OF THE PRIVACY POLICY.  Contact with participants will be by way of text messages through the On-line System and will concern only the contest Sponsor’s products and services, and this contest.  Information will not be shared with third parties. Only winners will be contacted.

4.         The contest opens at 9:00am on December 15, 2006, and closes at midnight on February 3, 2007 (the “Contest Period”).

5.         Eligible participants may enter the contest by one (1) of two (2) means:

(a)Entering online by following the directions once plugged in to the On-line System; or

(b)Obtaining one (1) contest entry form by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:

Plug in and Win

Microsoft Canada

1950 Meadowvale Blvd

Mississauga, Ontario

L5N 8L9

Attention: Daniel Cooper

and completing and returning the entry form, including  a one hundred (100)-word essay about on-line gaming strategy.

Mail-in entry forms will not be distributed after the end of the Contest Period and must be received by noon EST on February 2, 2007.  Incomplete or late entries will not be accepted. The contest Sponsor takes no responsibility for lost, late, destroyed or misdirected entries.  Only one (1) mail-in entry form will be issued to any one (1) participant.

6.         Prizes:  (a) lAt the end of each week of the Contest Period, seven (7) random draws will be held to select twenty (20) participants who participated on each day of the preceding week as potential winners of one thousand (1,000) Microsoft Points which can be redeemed in conjunction with the services offered in the On-line System.  A total of one thousand (1,000) potential winners will be selected throughout the Contest Period.  Each draw will be held at Traffik Brand Communications at 38 Clinton St. Toronto, ON M6J 2P2  by electronic selection.  The chances of being selected on any day during the Contest Period depend upon the number of valid entries received each day.

(b)        One (1) grand prize will be awarded to a selected and eligible participant who will be selected by random draw at the end of the Contest Period, from all eligible entries received throughout the Contest Period.  The grand prize consists of one (1) Samsung 40-inch LCD HDTV.  The grand prize draw will be held at Traffik Brand Communications in Toronto, Ontario, by electronic selection.  The chances of being selected for the grand prize depend upon the number of valid entries received throughout the Contest Period.

(c)        One (1) second prize will be awarded to a selected and eligible participant who will be selected by random draw at the end of the Contest Period, from all eligible entries received throughout the Contest Period.  The second prize consists of one (1) award of ten thousand (10,000) Microsoft Points, which can be redeemed in conjunction with the services offered in the On-line System.  The second prize draw will be held at Traffik Brand Communications in Toronto, Ontario, by electronic selection.  The chances of being selected for the second prize depend upon the number of valid entries received throughout the Contest Period.

(d)       One (1) third prize will be awarded to a selected eligible participant who will be selected by random draw at the end of the Contest Period, from all eligible entries received throughout the Contest Period.  The third prize consists of one (1) award of five thousand (5,000) Microsoft Points, which can be redeemed in conjunction with the serviced offered in the On-line System.  The third prize draw will be held at Traffik Brand Communications in Toronto, Ontario, by electronic selection.  The chances of being selected for the second prize depend upon the number of valid entries received throughout the Contest Period.

7.         The selected participants will be notified by text message or e-mail on the day of each weekly draw (or within forty-eight (48) hours after the end of the Contest Period for the grand prize) and, prior to being declared winners, will be required to correctly answer, unaided and without mechanical or electronic assistance, a time-limited, mathematical, skill-testing, technical question, to be administered at the time of communication.

8.         If a selected participant is unable to correctly answer the skill-testing question, cannot be reached by text message or e-mail as set out above, or otherwise does not meet all of these Contest Rules, his or her prize will be forfeited and another entrant will be drawn from the remaining eligible entries.

9.          There are one thousand (1,000) fourth prize(s) available to be won. Each prize consists of one thousand (1,000) Microsoft Points (approximate retail value of $20.00 CAD).  There is one (1) grand prize available to be won.  The grand prize consists of a Samsung 40-inch LCD HDTV (approximate retail value of  $2,000 CAD).  There is one (1) second prize to be won.  The second prize consists of ten thousand (10,000) Microsoft Points (approximate retail value of $140 CAD).  There is one (1) third prize to be won.  The third prize consists of five thousand (5,000) Microsoft Points (approximate retail value of $70 CAD).

10.       The prizes are non-transferable and no cash alternatives will be provided.  The contest Sponsor reserves the right to substitute the prizes described above with prizes of equal or greater value.  Only one (1) prize per selected entrant will be awarded.

11.       By entering, all participants agree to abide by the official rules and regulations and decisions of the contest Sponsors which are final.  All entries become the property of the contest Sponsor and will not be returned.

12.       To be declared a winner, a selected participant will be required to sign a declaration and release to: (a) confirm compliance with the official rules and regulations; (b) release the contest Sponsor from all liability; (c) accept the prize as awarded; and (d) consent to the use of the participant’s name, address, likeness and/or image for publicity purposes in all media. The contest Sponsor reserves the right, at its option, to publish any winner’s name, address (city and province only), photograph, likeness, voice or statement without further compensation to the winner.

13.       The contest is subject to all applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws and regulations. Void where prohibited.

14.       The names of the winners may be obtained by writing to PLUG IN AND WIN CONTEST at 38 Clinton St. Toronto, ON M6J 2P2 before three (3) weeks after the end of the Contest Period.

15.       No correspondence will be entered into with participants except the winner(s).

16.       The contest Sponsor assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction to or unauthorized alteration of the entries. The contest Sponsor is not responsible for (i) any problems or technical malfunctions or any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software; (ii) the failure of any e-mail or entry to be received by the contest Sponsor on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any web site; or (iii) any combination thereof, including any injury or related damage to participants or any other persons, whether computer-related or resulting from participation or downloading of any materials in this contest.  The contest Sponsor reserves the right subject to the approval of the Régie des alcools des courses et des jeux to modify this contest if fraud or technical failures negatively affect the integrity of the contest.  The contest Sponsor reserves the right subject to the approval of the Régie des alcools des courses et des jeux to cancel or suspend this contest should a virus, bug or other cause beyond the reasonable control of the contest Sponsor corrupt the security or proper administration of the contest.  Any deliberate attempt to damage any website or undermine the legitimate administration of this contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the contest Sponsor reserves the right to seek remedies and damages to the fullest extent permitted by law, including criminal prosecution.

17.       The odds of winning a prize in this contest are dependent upon the number of valid entries received.

18.       Prizes will be shipped to confirmed winners within six (6) weeks of the end of the Contest Period.

19.       By completing and submitting the entry form or entering this contest on-line, all entrants consent to the collection, use and distribution of their personal information by the contest Sponsor for the purposes of running the contest.  Personal information (information that identifies entrants as an individual (for example, home telephone number, age, home address) may be collected, used and stored by the contest Sponsor for its own use in connection with the fulfillment of this contest and for further correspondence regarding the contest Sponsor and its activities.  No other use of entrants’ personal information shall be made by the contest Sponsor, except in accordance with the other provisions of these Rules and except as specified and consented to under the Privacy Policy.

20.       By entering this contest, each entrant hereby acknowledges that he/she has read, understands and will comply with these contest rules in their entirety. 

21.With respect to Québec residents and to entries originating within the Province of Québec, any litigation respecting the conduct or organization of a publicity contest may be submitted to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux for a ruling.  Any litigation respecting the awarding of a prize may be submitted to the Régie only for the purpose of helping the parties reach a settlement.