Google launching Android challenge — surprisingly, Québecers not allowed! (21)
I would never blog about Silicon Valley initatives, because there are bloggers who are way more resourceful than I am in this game. However, Google’s Android SDK is interesting from a Québec perspective.
The whole story is that Google is moving into the mobile networking industry with a framework that allows any third-party developers to use a common toolset, accessing for the first time functions like messenging with SMS, touchscreen, video and audio, and even 3D functions. This is great from a developer’s perspective, making cell phones now as attractive as web or desktop software development. Compute into that the growth of mobile phones worldwide, in countries like China, India, Brazil where many of their citizens would only have access to a handset, and you have a whole new market opened for new innovatie applications. To raise the platform’s adoption rate, Google has also announced today a $10millions challenge, where they invite developers to create applications for cell phones, beginning early 2008.
I was thinking this would be great news for our upcoming blitzweekend, but after reading the fine-print, it turns out that residents of Québec cannot participate
While we seek to make the Challenge open worldwide, we cannot open the Challenge to residents of Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Sudan, and Myanmar (Burma) because of U.S. laws. In addition, the Challenge is not open to residents of Italy or Quebec because of local restrictions.
I don’t know about you, but it’s weird to see Quebec after Cuba, Iran, Syria … ! Is this because of the scandalous data rates? or maybe because they would have had to make a track in French? Well surely no, we are not there yet. After a little bit of digging and emailing, it’s because in Québec, if you want to launch a competition with a final prize, you have to pay the Québec governement 10% of the prize as a permit to host the competition, even if noone in the province wins. That means Google would have had to pay Quebec $1 million just to allow Quebecers to participate.
Oh well … today, i see this as a sign that there is way too much legistation in Quebec.
http://www.danielharan.com/2007/11/12/contests-not-for-quebec-residents/
I didn’t see your post, I got it from an email. i also just double-checked about the 10% and there was another mention on slashdot, which sorts of confirm the whole thing.
sigh.
Thank you, nanny state, for protecting us against the evils of… scientific challenges.
Of course, on the other hand, they’re the ones running the lotteries, casinos, poker machines, etc. So monopoly preservation would be more like it.
(use the contact form on my blog).
2. Build the most awesome Android app you can
3. Google loves it
4. Profit!
I believe your “rate” are not exact… If you look at this document from the Quebec Government, the licence fees are 10% is the contest is only in Quebec.
If the contest is across Canada, including Quebec, the rate is at 3%.
And if it is an international contest, it is only 0,5%…
For a “non profit organisation”, it is a fix rate of 25$.
http://www.racj.gouv.qc.ca/documents/formulaires/francais/Avis_concours_pub.pdf
Scanning that document, there are specific rules in case the prize is a trip, a vehicle or a swimming pool. It’s shocking that this would also be applied to contests like the ones we’re discussing.
Ok, we can’t win the $25,000 but I think there is more to win if the app is good.
:)
@Fred Brunel you are more than welcomed to make an android app for blitzweekend :-)
will take about it later…
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