TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF 5G-6G HACKATHON 2024

These Terms and Conditions elucidate the directives of use and participation in the 5G & 6G Hackathon 2024. Your acceptance of the same implies your acceptance of these directives mentioned herein under.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is at liberty to alter or modify these terms and conditions without prior notice. You are expected to be up to date with the modifications forthwith.

Receipt of Entries and Eligibility

1. Entries shall be invited through an online entry form as available on the https://5g6g-hackathon2024.tcoe.in/ website.
2. This 5G & 6G Hackathon is organized to identify & promote applications relevant to India, in the 5G & 6G realm that can be converted into workable products and services.
3. The Contest is open to all students, startups, academic institutions in India. However, employees of the DoT, IMC, DCIS beneficiaries or startups connected with them as promoters/partners are not eligible.
4. Entries will be accepted in English language only and the submissions should be made in the template provided on the https://5g6g-hackathon2024.tcoe.in/ Website.
5. Any incomplete/inaccurate entries or entry after the close of Entry Period shall be invalid and any such entry may be permitted only at the sole discretion of the DoT.
6. The right to permit or restrict participation is at the sole discretion of the DoT.
7. Awards and Recognition shall be given as per the criteria laid down by the DoT and as specified underneath of the Hackathon.
8. You are expected to come up with new and innovative ideas for 5G & 6G use cases applicable in the Indian context and any idea that appears to have been copied from somewhere shall be disqualified.
9. Your ideas must be developed entirely during the Hackathon duration by participants. You may use open source libraries and other freely available systems / services such as Google Maps, Facebook Connect, Twitter feeds etc.

Submission of Participant Information

1. DoT has the right to substantiate/verify the participants' details/information as provided in the entry form and may also seek any further document, as may be required to verify the participants' details/ information.
2. The participant must provide all supporting details requested by the DoT to substantiate/verify the information provided in the entry form. If such a request is made and the participant either fails or does not agree to provide the same, then the DoT reserves the right to disqualify such participant from participating in the Hackathon.
3. Ideas given by Startups which have already been selected in the earlier 5G Hackathon organized by any ministries shall not be eligible.
4. Ideas shall be connected to either 5G or 6G. Ideas without basic connection to these technologies shall not be eligible.
5. Determination of whether information is correct or not, rests solely with the DoT.
6. If at any stage or time, the information provided by any participant is found to be incorrect in any manner, then the participant will be disqualified from participating in the Hackathon.
7. If, after the conclusion of the Hackathon, any information provided by any participant is found to be incorrect in any manner, the participant will be liable to return the prize/award/recognition (if any) or any other monetary/non-monetary incentives provided as part of the Hackathon.

Determination of Qualifying Team and Decision as to the ‘Winner’

1. The DoT shall identify all qualifying participants and their decision shall be final and binding on all participants.
2. The DoT shall score and/or rank each team based on pre-defined evaluation criteria and the final scores will be collated and tabulated to determine the Winners based on the parameters determined by DoT.

Award and Recognition

1. The top 5 winners from each location will be awarded;
   • 1st winner-2 lakhs
   • 2nd winner-1.5 lakhs
   • 3rd winner-1 lakh
   • 4th winner-75k
   • 5th winner-50k
2. All winners will be provided a unique opportunity by being allotted a Free Pod space in “Aspire Startups Zone”, during IMC 2024 to showcase their solutions and to explore collaboration to make them market-ready with the support of DoT, MeitY and a number of leading industries, academia, Telcos/OEMs.
3. The Prize shall not be transferable. No request shall be entertained by the DoT on this account.
4. Any statutory taxes, duties or levies as may be applicable from time to time, arising out/ in respect of such prize, shall be payable by the Winner of the respective Prize.
5. DoT shall not be liable for any loss, damage, theft, or any other mishap caused to the Prize after handing over the same to the Winners of the Contest.

General

1. Entries protected under intellectual property rights are acceptable as submissions to the Hackathon. However, the DoT shall not be liable for the protection of any proprietary or confidential information contained in any entry form.
2. The ideas submitted by the participants shall solely remain their intellectual property in the Hackathon.
3. The participant warrants and represents that it owns all rights, or has all necessary licenses, to use any and all idea/s (and all constituent parts) they will be submitting under this Hackathon for evaluation, including without limitation all content, images, text, or other copyright material, trademarks, service marks, logos or any other intellectual property contained within its Idea, and can, upon request, shall provide written confirmation of such ownership or license to the DoT. The participant further warrants and represents that all the ideas submitted are original and have been legally obtained and created, and do not infringe the intellectual property rights or any other legal or moral rights of any third party.
4. The participant additionally grants to DoT and its affiliates, the right and permission to reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, broadcast, display, publicly perform, exhibit and/or otherwise use or reuse (without limitation as to when or to the number of times used), the participant's name, address, image, voice, statements and idea/s (in each case, as submitted or as edited by DoT, in DoT's sole discretion), as well as any additional photographic images, video images, portraits, interviews or other materials relating to the participant and arising out of his/her participation in this Hackathon (with or without using the participant's name) (collectively, the "additional materials") in any media throughout the world for advertising and publicity purposes without additional review, compensation, or approval.
5. The participant waives any rights of publicity, rights of privacy, intellectual property rights, and any other legal or moral rights that might preclude the DoT's use of the Idea/s or the additional materials or require the participant's permission for DoT to use them for promotional purposes, and hereby waives any claim against the DoT relating to the DoT promotional use of those materials.
6. The participant agrees to indemnify and hold the DoT and their respective affiliates, directors, employees, agents and partners (“DoT’s Associates”) harmless from any and all direct and indirect claims, damages, expenses, costs (including reasonable attorneys' fees) and liabilities (including settlements), brought or asserted by any third party against any of the DoT Associates due to or arising out of the use of the idea/s or additional materials and/or in connection with participation in or winning the Hackathon.
7. DoT will not be liable for:
   • Any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by the participant, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Hackathon.
   • Technical failures of any kind, including, but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software.
   • Unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Hackathon.
   • Technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Hackathon or the processing of Ideas.
   • Any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from the participant's participation in the Hackathon or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.
   • Any and all expenses, costs or other charges associated with the Winner's acceptance and/or use of the prize shall be the responsibility of the Winner.
8. DoT reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Hackathon, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond DoT's reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Hackathon, as determined by DoT in its sole discretion. DoT, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Hackathon or to be acting in violation of these Terms & Conditions.
9. DoT's decision shall be final and binding in all matters related to the Hackathon. DoT reserves the right to disqualify any participant who is found to be undermining the legitimate operation of the Hackathon or other participants, or to be acting in a disruptive manner, or with the intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person.