Google Code Jam Rules - CJ Rules

Welcome to Code Jam 2020!
Please read carefully the Coding Competitions Terms ("Terms"), Google's general Privacy Policy, and these rules for Code Jam 2020 (described below and referred to as the "CJ Rules"), all of which together form a binding legal agreement between you and Google LLC with respect to the Code Jam Contest (the "CJ Contest").






2020 Termskeyboard_arrow_up


Welcome to Coding Competitions!



These Coding Competitions Terms ("Terms") apply to many coding competitions and contests sponsored by Google LLC and its affiliates, including Code Jam, Kick Start, and Hash Code (each referred to as a "Contest"). Please read the Terms and all applicable Rules (as defined below) carefully as they form a binding legal agreement between you and Google LLC, located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States ("Google") with respect to a Contest.


Our Contests vary and we may post specific rules for a Contest on a contest website (for each Contest, "Rules"), which, along with these Terms, become part of your agreement with us with respect to such Contest. If there is a conflict between these Terms and the Rules, then the Rules take precedence.


Any decision or determination of any Contest administrator or judge, including interpretation and applications of the Terms and Rules, is final and binding in all matters relating to such Contest (without prejudice of any claim that could be filed before the Court).


The Terms and Rules include information about how we use your personal information when you create a Contest Profile (as defined below) or participate in a Contest. UNLESS YOU AGREE TO THE TERMS AND APPLICABLE RULES, YOU (1) MUST NOT CREATE A CONTEST PROFILE OR PARTICIPATE IN A CONTEST AND (2) ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE PRIZES UNDER A CONTEST.


The words "include" and "including" as used in these Terms and any Rules mean "including but not limited to."
1. Eligibility.

1.1 VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Each Contest is void in Crimea, Iran, North Korea, Quebec, Syria, and where prohibited by law.

1.2 NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. You do not need to purchase any Google product or service to enter or win a Contest.

1.3 Ineligible Individuals.



(A) You cannot participate in a Contest and will be immediately disqualified and forfeit all of your prizes if you are or become:


(1) a resident of Quebec;


(2) a resident of Crimea, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or other US embargoed country;


(3) ordinarily resident in a US embargoed country;


(4) otherwise prohibited by applicable export controls and sanctions programs;


(5) a resident anywhere that a Contest is prohibited by law;


(6) a current employee (including intern), contractor, officer, or director of Google or any of its affiliates.


(B) If you gained information on a problem as a Google-managed program participant or by working as an employee (including intern), contractor, director, officer, or other official office-holder of Google, you will be disqualified from a contest if you submit a submission for that problem. You may also be disqualified if Google learns you acquired information on a problem from an employee (including intern), contractor, Google-managed program participant, director, officer, or other official office-holder of Google.


(C) You cannot participate in a contest if you are under sixteen (16) years old. You may participate in a Contest if you are at least sixteen (16) years of age at the time you register for such Contest; however, to be eligible to attend the onsite final round of such Contest, you must be at least the Minimum Age at the time you register for such Contest. Additional restrictions may be included in the Rules for a Contest. “Minimum Age” means the older of eighteen (18) years old or the age of majority in your country of residence.

1.4 Requirements to Enter and Receive a Prize.



(A) In order to enter a Contest, you must have
(1) access to the Internet, and
(2) a valid email address.


(B) If a Contest offers a prize and if requested by Google, you must provide your name, phone number, a valid mailing address, and any other information Google may need to award or send you a prize. This information must be provided to Google in English using ASCII characters only and will be used to award and send a prize to you. The use of non-ASCII characters may prevent or delay your receipt of an award or prize. Google will endeavor to dispense prizes to all eligible prize recipients. You understand that there may be rare circumstances in which Google is unable to disperse a prize due to the administrative, carrier, or legal restrictions.


(C) Some Contests provide an opportunity to serve as a contest hub organizer (“Hub Organizer”). If you are a government official, you may only enter a Contest and be a Hub Organizer in your personal capacity. Government officials may be ineligible to receive certain prizes. "Government officials" include any government employee; candidate for public office; and employee of government-owned or government-controlled companies, public international organizations, and political parties. You agree to comply with all applicable commercial and public anti-bribery laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and the UK Bribery Act of 2010, which prohibit corrupt offers of anything of value, either directly or indirectly to anyone, including government officials, to obtain or keep business or to secure any other improper commercial advantage.

1.5 Verifying Eligibility. Google reserves the right to verify your eligibility and to adjudicate on any dispute at any time. You agree to provide Google with any proof of eligibility requested by Google and your refusal or failure to provide such proof within ten (10) days of Google's request will result in your disqualification from a Contest and forfeiture of any prizes.

1.6 Communications. All communications between Google and you, including a Contest website and email communications, must be in English.

2. How to Enter.

2.1 Profile Creation and Contest Registration.



(A) To enter a Contest, you must first create a profile at g.co/codingcompetitions (“Contest Profile”). Once your Contest Profile has been created, you will be able to register for Contests. You will be required to provide additional information about yourself when registering for Contests.


(B) You may access each of your Contest registrations on the applicable Contest websites or through your Contest Profile.


(C) Registration times are listed on the applicable Contest websites. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR DETERMINING THE CORRESPONDING TIME IN YOUR TIME ZONE. Google may modify the opening and closing dates for registration by an informational notice on the applicable Contest website. You are responsible for frequently reviewing Contest details on the applicable Contest website.


(D) You must register for each Contest before you can participate in such Contest. For example, if you registered for Code Jam and wanted to participate in Hash Code, you would still need to register for the Hash Code Contest. If you have created a Contest Profile but have not registered for a Contest, then you are not eligible to participate in such Contest.


(E) You may only register for a Contest with one (1) valid Contest Profile. If you compete in a Contest using multiple Contest Profiles, you may be disqualified.


(F) All the data provided through the profile creation and registration process must be complete, correct and provided in English.

2.2 Nicknames. Google reserves the right to change or omit contestant nicknames or team names for purposes of publication on Google websites or listserve, particularly if they are, in Google's sole opinion, offensive or obscene, or violate the intellectual property rights of others. If you repeatedly create a nickname or team name that is offensive or obscene, or violates the intellectual property rights of others (in each case, as determined at Google’s sole discretion), you (and, if applicable, your team members) may be disqualified from the Contest(s) for which you have registered.

3. Contest Structure.

3.1 Overview. Each Contest consists of one or more rounds as may be more fully described in the Rules posted on the applicable Contest website. Each round consists of one or more problems. In each round, you will receive a score based on the answers you provide to the problem(s). For Contests that have one or more qualification rounds: you will advance to the next round if your score (i) exceeds a specified threshold or (ii) is one of a specified number of high ranking scores. Some Contests may use waitlists, which will be managed in accordance with Section 5.1 below.

3.2 Problems. In each round you will be asked to solve one or more problems, which may include one or more sub-problems. You will be awarded points depending on your performance on each problem or sub-problem. You will be able to access the problems on the applicable Contest website or online judge system when the round begins.

3.3 Submissions. You must submit your solutions for problems through such Contest website or online judge system.



(A) Your submission must be in the format specified by the problem, the applicable Contest website or online judge system, the applicable Rules, and these Terms (with precedence given in that order). Deliberately obfuscated source code is not allowed.


(B) You should submit your solutions with enough time remaining in each time period to avoid latency issues between your computer and Google servers. Solutions submitted after the applicable time period expires will not be accepted.

3.4 Modifying a Contest. Google may cancel or modify the structure, location, and times of a Contest to run such Contest in accordance with the Terms and applicable Rules or to prevent an unfair result.

3.5 Practice Sessions. A Contest may offer one or more practice sessions. It is your responsibility to obtain all practice session details from the applicable Contest website. Performance in a practice session has no impact on your scores in a qualification round or any other round of a Contest. You are not required to participate in a practice session. You understand these sessions are only provided to you as a courtesy and Google will only provide limited support during any practice session.

4. Privacy Terms.

4.1 General Privacy. Your use of any coding competitions services or platforms in connection with a Contest (including, participation in any Contest or creation of any Contest Profile) is governed by the applicable Rules and these Terms, including this Section 4 (Privacy Terms), Google’s general Privacy Policy, and, if applicable, Google’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy. This Section 4 covers the information you share with Google during the course of your participation in a Contest or use of any Contest website.

4.2 Information Google Collects. In order to administer Contests and manage contest activity (including Contest Profiles), Google collects basic contest information about you (for example, your name, email, and school or company name), information about your coding experience (such as your preferred coding language), and information about your contest submissions (for example, your contest scores during an online round). Google will collect this information from (i) you when you provide it during the course of registering for a Contest or creating a Contest Profile or (ii) judges or other individuals responsible for managing a Contest. You also understand that Google may record and photograph you, use your Participant-Provided Photographs and Social Media Content, and use your name and likeness, in each case pursuant to Section 8 of these Terms.

4.3 Why Google Collects and How Google May Use Your Information.



(A) Google will use the information you provide to administer a Contest (including verifying your eligibility to participate in a Contest and delivering prizes). This data will be maintained in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy, and if applicable, Google’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy. If you have expressed interest in learning about Google events, programs, and/or job opportunities, your data will be disclosed to Google’s internal outreach and staffing teams.


(B) Sharing Your Information. Your name, username, team name, representing country, country of residence, and any fun facts (e.g., your favorite coding language) that you specified during registration may be displayed publicly on Contest websites, social media, and Google-managed blogs for promotion purposes; you can request to not have this information displayed by emailing Google’s Coding Competitions at codingcompetitions@google.com. If you win a prize or are eligible to receive a travel reimbursement, Google may share your name, phone number, e-mail address, and mailing address with third parties to fulfill awarding a prize to you or to disperse to you a travel reimbursement. Google may also be required to disclose your information to external third parties, such as local labor authorities, courts, tribunals, regulatory bodies, and/or law enforcement agencies for the purpose of complying with applicable laws and regulations, or in response to legal processes. In the case of the Hash Code Contest, (i) Google will share your contact information (i.e., full name, email address, and school or work affiliation) with the Hub Organizer of the Hub in which you have expressed interest and (ii) if you volunteer as a Hub Organizer, Google will display your public contact information on the Hash Code Contest website.


(C) Google uses the information collected in connection with a Contest based on Google’s legitimate interest in administering and managing Contests and activity associated with each Contest. Google maintains servers around the world and your information may be processed on servers located outside of the country where you live. Data protection laws vary among countries, with some providing more protection than others.

4.4 Accessing Your Information.

(A) When you are logged into a Contest website, you will be able to access, review, and update some of your personal data held by Google in connection with a Contest.
(B) In certain countries, you may have the right to request access to or to update your information, request that it be deleted, and restrict the processing of your information. You may also have the right to object to the processing of your information. Please contact the contest administrator via the applicable Contest website if you would like to exercise any of these rights. Google will respond to any requests in accordance with applicable law; therefore, there may be circumstances where Google is not able to comply with your request.
(C) To delete your Contest Profile, you must email codingcompetitions@google.com. By deleting your Contest Profile, you will no longer be able to access or restore your Contest history; you will be unregistered from all Contests for which you have enrolled; if eligible, you forfeit all claims to prizes; and if you have participated in past Contests, your nickname will no longer appear on any public scoreboards. Your code will still remain unaltered on our backend and scoreboards.

4.5 Retention of Your Information.

(A) Google retains personal information collected in connection with participation in a Contest for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal data is processed, including to protect Google from legal claims, however no more than twelve (12) years. You understand that Google may be under a legal obligation to retain your personal information or may need to keep your information as evidence for an investigation or legal proceeding. After the 12 year (or shorter) period, Google will continue to retain a limited amount of personal data collected during the course of a Contest (for example, scoreboard details from a Contest).
(B) Google will delete your Contest Profile after 10 years of inactivity (subject to Google potentially retaining a limited amount of personal data, as described in 4.5(A) above).
(C) If you have expressed interest in learning about job opportunities at Google, Google will retain your personal information (including, for example, your resume) in accordance with Google’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy.

4.6 Your Recordings, Participant-Provided Photographs, and Social Media Content. As described in Section 8 of these Terms, you grant Google a license to use your Recordings (as defined in Section 8.4), your Participant-Provided Photographs (as defined in Section 8.5), and your Social Media Content (as defined in Section 8.6) for Contest-related promotional purposes. This includes, for example, photos or videos of you in Google’s internal- and external-facing marketing materials.

4.7 Contacting Google About Privacy Questions. You can contact the applicable contest administrator via the applicable Contest website if you have questions about the processing of your information collected in connection with a Contest. If you are in the EU and you cannot find the answer to your question in these Terms or Rules, then you can contact Google’s EU Data Protection Officer at https://support.google.com/policies/troubleshooter/7575787?hl=en. Depending on your country of residence, you can contact your local data protection authority if you have concerns regarding your rights under local law.

4.8 Personally Identifiable Information in Nicknames and Submissions. You should not include and are strongly discouraged from including any personally identifying information (e.g., your legal name) in your contestant nickname, team name, and submissions because such nickname, team name, or submissions may be published publicly.

4.9 More Information. Google adheres to several self regulatory frameworks, including the EU-US Privacy Shield Framework. Click here to learn more details.

5. Advancement and Notice of Winners.

5.1 Notice of Advancement. Results posted on a Contest website are not definitive and may change, for example, due to disqualifications or judging of discrepancies in answers. If you qualify for advancement, you will be notified by email at least one (1) day before the following round whether you have advanced. This email notification is an official notice of advancement. If a Contest uses a waitlist, such Contest organizers will notify you if you move off the waitlist and advance to the next round.

5.2 Announcement of Winners. The results of the final round of a Contest will be posted on the applicable Contest website after completion of such Contest. Posted results will include a list of the contestants' names, nicknames, usernames, or team names in ranked order based on their scores.

6 Prizes. If a Contest offers a prize, then the following Terms are applicable:


6.1 Money Prizes. Money prizes will be awarded in U.S. dollars and may be delivered in the form of cash, check, gift card, or other cash equivalent. You are responsible for any costs associated with currency exchange. Google may work with an authorized third-party to convert money prizes into a local currency. You understand Google has sole discretion to choose which currency exchange rate to apply in order to convert any money prize into a non-U.S. dollar currency.

6.2 Delivery. Google may either ship your non-monetary prize (e.g., a t-shirt) to you or request that you come to a Google office or a designated location to collect your prize. If Google informed you that it will ship your prize to you and you have not received your prize within six (6) months after the end of a Contest, please email the applicable Contest organizers at the email address specified on the applicable Contest website. Google will not award any prizes if notified beyond six (6) months from the end of a Contest.

6.3 Forfeiture. You will forfeit your attendance to the final round and/or your prize and an alternative finalist or winner may be selected, if:

(A) You fail to provide a phone number during registration or any other information requested by Google within ten (10) days of Google's request;
(B) You fail to respond to Google's email notification of your final round eligibility or prize within ten (10) days;
(C) You fail to follow directions provided by Google for attending the final round or receiving the prize;
(D) Your email notification is returned to Google; or
(E) You fail to pay applicable taxes or timely submit applicable documentation to Google or the relevant tax authority.Google will not be liable for unsuccessful efforts to notify a winner. If a winning participant declines the prize, does not respond to a prize notification, fails to claim a prize in the manner specified, is unavailable for prize fulfillment, fails to abide by any Terms or Rules of any Contest, or is ineligible to receive a prize, Google may award their prize to a subsequent participant.

6.4 Substitute Prizes. Google may provide a substitute prize of equal or greater value at Google's sole discretion, or where required by law, or in the event all or part of a prize becomes unavailable.

6.5 Taxes. You are solely responsible for complying with all applicable tax laws and filing requirements. To remain eligible for a prize, you must submit to Google or the relevant tax authority all documentation requested by Google or required by applicable law within seven (7) days of Google's request or earlier if required by law. You are solely responsible for paying all taxes, duties, and other fees imposed on prizes awarded to you. All prizes will be net of any taxes Google is required by law to withhold.

6.6 No Warranties for Prizes. Except as required by law, Google makes no warranties, express or implied, for prizes.

6.7 Prizes are Non-Transferable. Participants may not sell or give away prizes to their customers or other persons.

7. Disqualification.

7.1 You may be disqualified from a Contest and forfeit any prizes you may be eligible to receive if Google reasonably believes that you have attempted to undermine the legitimate operation of a Contest, including by:



(A) Providing false information about yourself during registration or concerning your eligibility;


(B) Using more than one Contest Profile to compete in a Contest;


(C) Breaching or refusing to comply with any Terms or Rules of any Contest for which you have registered;


(D) Tampering or interfering with administration of a Contest (including monitoring at onsite rounds) or with the ability of other contestants to participate in a Contest;


(E) Sharing or using from others any information about a problem (including its content or solution) before the end of a round unless expressly permitted by the applicable Rules or these Terms;


(F) Submitting content that:


(1) violates the rights of a third party,


(2) is lewd, obscene, pornographic, racist, sexist, or otherwise inappropriate to a Contest, in each case, as determined per Google’s sole discretion, or


(3) violates any applicable law.


(G) Threatening or harassing other contestants or Google, including its employees and representatives. Harassing behavior includes, offensive, threatening, and/or hateful comments directed toward an individual or protected class (e.g., sexual orientation, disability, gender identity, age, race, religion, ethnicity, veteran status), the use or display of sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, taking unwelcome photos/videos, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome sexual attention, and developing and/or promoting any applications designed to encourage any of these behaviors. Google has sole discretion to decide whether a Contest participant or Hub Organizer’s behavior is threatening or harassing.

7.2 You may report to Google, using the applicable Contest administrator email address specified on the applicable Contest website, any harassment, cheating, or violation of any Terms or Rules by another contestant. Google may investigate any such allegations and all decisions by Google in these matters are final and binding (and in each case, at Google’s sole discretion). If you are asked to stop any harassing behavior, you are expected to comply immediately.

7.3 Per the sole discretion of the Contest administrator(s), disqualification from one Contest may disqualify you from other Contests or from the same Contest in subsequent years. For example, if you are disqualified from Hash Code 2020, you may be disqualified from Code Jam 2020 or Hash Code 2021. The scope of your disqualification will depend on the quantity and severity of your Terms and/or Rules violation(s).

8. Ownership; Rights in Your Submissions.

8.1 License to Use Content; Reservation of Rights. You may use the code and content made available on a Contest website solely to prepare for and compete in such Contest. Google retains all rights in such code and content not explicitly granted by the Terms or Rules of the Contest(s) for which you have registered.

8.2 Ownership of Submissions. You retain all rights to your submitted source code and any other work product that you had before submitting them to a Contest.

8.3 License to Submissions. For any submission you make to a Contest, you grant Google a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, free license (with the right to sublicense) to reproduce, prepare derivative works of, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, and otherwise use such submission. Your submitted source code may be made available for anyone to view on the Internet and download and use at the end of each round.

8.4 Permission to Record You. If you participate in a Contest, you give permission to Google to make and have made audio, visual, and audiovisual recordings (in any format or media) of you and your activity on a computer while you are participating in a Contest (collectively, the "Recordings") and grant Google an unrestricted, sublicensable, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, free license to use the Recordings to promote a Contest, including broadcasting it live. You waive all rights, including any right of prior approval, and release Google and its agents from, and will neither sue nor bring any proceeding against Google or its agents for, any claim or cause of action, whether now known or unknown, for defamation, copyright infringement, and invasion of the rights to privacy, publicity, or personality or any similar matter, or based upon or relating to the use and exploitation of the Recordings.

8.5 Photographs You Send to Google. You may have an opportunity to send photographs to Google (“Participant-Provided Photographs”). If you do so, you must only send Participant-Provided Photographs of yourself or non-person objects (e.g., posters). You grant Google an unrestricted, sublicensable, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, free license to use the Participant-Provided Photographs to promote a Contest. You waive all rights, including any right of prior approval, and release Google and its agents from, and will neither sue nor bring any proceeding against Google or its agents for any claim or cause of action, whether now known or unknown, for defamation, copyright infringement, invasion of the rights to privacy, publicity, or personality or any similar matter, or based upon or relating to the use and exploitation of the Participant-Provided Photographs.

8.6 Social Media. If you (i) post on your social media page using any Contest hashtag (e.g., #CodeJam) or (ii) share or post any content on a Contest social media page (collectively, “Social Media Content”), then Google may feature such Social Media Content in marketing and promotional materials for any Contest. You grant Google an unrestricted, sublicensable, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, free license to use your Social Media Content to promote any Contest. You warrant that you have the authority to grant the license set forth in this Section 8.6. You waive all rights, including any right of prior approval, and release Google and its agents from, and will neither sue nor bring any proceeding against Google or its agents for any claim or cause of action, whether now known or unknown, for defamation, copyright infringement, invasion of the rights to privacy, publicity, or personality or any similar matter, or based upon or relating to the use and exploitation of any Social Media Content.

8.7 Permission to Use Your Name and Likeness. By registering for a Contest, you agree that Google and its agents may use your name, likeness, and statements without compensation to promote a Contest, including displaying it on a Contest website.

9. Your Representations, Warranties, Indemnities.

9.1 Representations and Warranties. You represent and warrant that:



(A) the information you provide about yourself while registering or in subsequent communications with Google is truthful and accurate;


(B) except as permitted by the Terms and Rules of the Contest(s) for which you have registered, your submissions to a Contest are original and not created with the assistance of any information about the problems not provided by Google;


(C) you own all rights in your submissions or otherwise have the right to submit your submissions to Google and grant to Google the licenses granted in these Terms and any applicable Rules without violating any rights of any other person or entity or any obligation you may have with them; and


(D) your submissions do not violate any applicable laws.

9.2 Indemnities. You will indemnify Google and its affiliates, directors, officers, and employees against all liabilities, damages, losses, costs, fees (including legal fees), and expenses relating to any allegation or third-party legal proceeding to the extent arising from:

(A) your acts or omissions in relation to a Contest (including your use or acceptance of any prize and your breach of these Terms or any applicable Rules); and
(B) your submissions violating any rights of any other person or entity or any obligation you may have with them.

10. Disclaimers.
EACH CONTEST WEBSITE AND ALL CONTENT (INCLUDING SOURCE CODE) IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. GOOGLE DISCLAIMS ALL REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES (EXPRESS OR IMPLIED), INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. GOOGLE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INCOMPLETE, FAILED, OR DELAYED TRANSMISSION OF YOUR APPLICATION INFORMATION OR SUBMISSIONS DUE TO THE INTERNET, INCLUDING INTERRUPTION OR DELAYS CAUSED BY EQUIPMENT OR SOFTWARE MALFUNCTION OR OTHER TECHNICAL PROBLEMS. GOOGLE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER OR SOFTWARE RESULTING FROM DOWNLOADED SOURCE CODE. YOU USE ALL SOURCE CODE AVAILABLE ON A CONTEST WEBSITE OR ONLINE JUDGE SYSTEM AT YOUR OWN RISK.

YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT TRAVEL CONTAINS SOME INHERENT ELEMENT OF RISK OF ACCIDENT, ILLNESS, INJURY, LOSS OR DEATH. IN NO EVENT WILL GOOGLE, ITS AFFILIATES, OR AGENTS, BE LIABLE FOR ANY HARM, DAMAGE, CLAIM, LOSS OR OTHER ACTION RELATING TO OR ARISING OUT OF ANY TRAVEL IN CONNECTION WITH ANY CONTEST.

11. General.

11.1 Not an Offer or Contract of Employment.



(A) You acknowledge that your participation is voluntary.


(B) You acknowledge that no confidential, fiduciary, agency or other relationship or implied-in-fact contract now exists between you and Google and that no such relationship is established by your submission of an entry to or service as a Hub Organizer for any Contest.


(C) You understand and agree that nothing in these Terms, any Rules, any submission to a Contest, or any award of a prize may be construed as an offer or contract of employment with Google.

11.2 Severability. If any term (or part of a term) of the Terms or Rules is invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the rest of the terms will remain in effect.

11.3 Import and Export Laws. Google will organize each Contest in compliance with all applicable import laws, export laws, rules, regulations, and sanctions programs. Participants acknowledge and agree that each Contest (including the award of prizes, swag, or other items) may be subject to certain export laws and regulations.

11.4 Governing Law. ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE TERMS AND ANY RULES WILL BE GOVERNED BY CALIFORNIA LAW, EXCLUDING CALIFORNIA'S CONFLICT OF LAWS RULES, AND WILL BE LITIGATED EXCLUSIVELY IN THE FEDERAL OR STATE COURTS OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA; THE PARTIES CONSENT TO PERSONAL JURISDICTION IN THOSE COURTS.