# No iTunes Contest for Quebec



## trump (Dec 7, 2004)

If you haven't heard, Apple is giving away 10 iPods and 10,000 free songs to the person who downloads song number 500 million on iTunes from any worldwide store. I was reading the rules for the contest, and under eligibility I found this...

Eligibility. In order to be eligible, entrants must be 13 years of age or older, and a legal resident of one of the 50 United States, including Washington, D.C., Austria, Belgium, *Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec)*, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.......

I'm not from Quebec, but it still kinda bugs me, what could their reasoning be?


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Gotta be our restrictive lottery/contest regulations.


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## yo_paully (Sep 20, 2004)

Here is a quote from an article that talks about the exclusion of Quebec from contests...



> Big corporations like Pepsi, Best Buy or MGM are constantly using contests and sweepstakes as a marketing strategy to promote their products nationally in the US and Canada. However, the French province of Quebec with almost one third of the population of Canada is often not included in any contests. Indeed, it has to do with charity and contest laws in the province of Quebec. When planning national contests, companies are confronted with a unique set of rules and regulations in order to include Quebec.


Read the article here:
http://searchwarp.com/swa9752.htm
________
fake weed


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## NBiBooker (Apr 3, 2004)

Vive Le Separatists and their nanny state dreams! Vive the lack of cool contests... d'oh!


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## trump (Dec 7, 2004)

ahh, interesting...but really sucks pour les quebecois


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## Mantat (Aug 22, 2003)

We are so willing to be different than the rest of Canada, it doesnt surprise me...


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

NBiBooker said:


> Vive Le Separatists and their nanny state dreams! Vive the lack of cool contests... d'oh!


Maybe it should be Vive le Quebec that ensures that contest are fair and well run....

It's great to announce a contest but who assures that it's really done?


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## NBiBooker (Apr 3, 2004)

ArtistSeries, 

Who assures a contest that it's really done? The consumers, not the state. 

Hence the nanny state crack. 

But if you don't think Apple will follow through on a contest then you've gotten way too jaded.


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## macsackbut (Dec 15, 2004)

NBiBooker said:


> Vive Le Separatists and their nanny state dreams! Vive the lack of cool contests... d'oh!


Not sure about the logic of equating provincial gaming regulations to the separatist movement. For all you or I know, the bill this rule comes from may have been passed by a Liberal government (I don't know myself, but I wouldn't assume). I'm no fan of the separatist movement, but I don't think you can blame them for this one


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## Brian Scully (Jan 23, 2001)

yo_paully said:


> Here is a quote from an article that talks about the exclusion of Quebec from contests...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What the article does not mention is the fees involved I am not current but in the 70/80's it was 3% of the RETAIL price of prizes and applied to whether the winner was from Quebec or not. It was promoted as ensuring that contests were not scams upon the residents of Quebec but in reality it was just another tax grab on the part of the Government. It predates any real soverignist activity. They of course have not hesitated to point out that its another slur by the ROC. They made the rules so onerous that the big boys just refused to play in that sandbox


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## NBiBooker (Apr 3, 2004)

Though I can't blame separatists, I still think it's a) the product of a nanny state mentality, and b) a cheap tax grab


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

NBiBooker said:


> I still think it's a) the product of a nanny state mentality, and b) a cheap tax grab


Offering a contest is a cheap way to ensure publicity for a company - the Quebec laws are common sense.
The rules of a publicity contest must be accessible to the public and must include as a minimum:

·The conditions for entering the contest

·The places where the public must deposit or send the contest entry forms

·The deadline for entering the contest

·A description of the method of awarding the prizes

·The place, date and time the prizewinner will be named

·The media used to inform the winners of the prizes won

·The place, date and deadline for claiming prizes, or where applicable, whether the prizes will be delivered to the winner

·The information about how a jury will select the winners

·The nature of the skill-testing requirement that a winner has to satisfy in order to claim his prize

·A person for whom a publicity contest is carried on shall furnish security to the board where:
1)He has a head office or place of business in Quebec declared in accordance with the laws of Quebec
2)He has not been convicted of an offence against the Act or these Rules in that year precede the date of the launching of the publicity contest
3)That the value of a prize offered to Quebec residents is more than $ 100

source: http://searchwarp.com/swa9752.htm

NBiBooker, what is Nanny state about that? What do you object to? 

I think that it's bad PR that Apple can't even meet those requirements.


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## Brian Scully (Jan 23, 2001)

*Can't?*



ArtistSeries said:


> I think that it's bad PR that Apple can't even meet those requirements.


I think its not so much that Apple can't.... but that Apple can't be bothered with the red tape and fees that are "extorted" by the Regis. So they elect to play in sandboxes that are friendlier 

Just as you as a consumer can boycott Apple Computer if you feel badly about their products or policies so can Major corporations refuse to enter promotional markets that make things difficult. The recent TDCT iPod promotion was not available in Quebec as far as I remember. Most of the large companies like soap and cereal do not participate.

I ran a promotional business for 20 years and many of my clients when advised of the paperwork and fees required by the Regis opted for other avenues of promotion.


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## NBiBooker (Apr 3, 2004)

First, if Apple has to pay a "tax" to Quebec in order to have a contest, if true, is nanny state. 

Second, if it's common sense, why does there need to be a government board? That's what is nanny state about it.


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

I'd think that with all the money that *I've* sent to Quebec over the years - they'd be sending me an iPod!


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## trump (Dec 7, 2004)

Are you sure that you've sent more money to Quebec than they've sent to you?

(actual question)


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

NBiBooker said:


> First, if Apple has to pay a "tax" to Quebec in order to have a contest, if true, is nanny state.
> 
> Second, if it's common sense, why does there need to be a government board? That's what is nanny state about it.


Please NBiBooker, have you actually read the condition that I posted?
And if yes, point out one that does not make sense to you....

Whenever a province protects the rights of it's citizens it's calle a nanny state?
Sure hope you enjoy your UI, medicare and public school system, roads, snow removal and safe food....


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## RobTheGob (Feb 10, 2003)

trump said:


> Are you sure that you've sent more money to Quebec than they've sent to you?
> 
> (actual question)


Well - I meant the remark to be taken "tongue in cheek", but it's pretty common knowledge that Alberta pays a good number of the rest of the country's bills. 

Two interesting sites:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdngovernment/equalization.html 

http://www.freealberta.com/transfer_payments.html

Also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equalization_payments


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## Chris Knight (Mar 12, 2005)

ArtistSeries said:


> I think that it's bad PR that Apple can't even meet those requirements.


The reality is that most promotional contests like these have very short lifespans, from inception to completion, and there's no way that any company would spend the time and money trying to comply with the Regis' ridiculous "rules" because the ROI would be very low once it finally got started there.


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## trump (Dec 7, 2004)

RobTheGob said:


> Well - I meant the remark to be taken "tongue in cheek", but it's pretty common knowledge that Alberta pays a good number of the rest of the country's bills.
> 
> Two interesting sites:
> 
> ...


that Wiki article is a good one, never fully understood the concept until now


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## TroutMaskReplica (Feb 28, 2003)

we create national sweeps for some of our clients and we have to hire a fulfillment house to handle all the regie crap. it's too complicated for mere mortals to deal with.

the basic concept is good - it keeps everyone honest - but it has been implemented in a severely beaurocratic way that makes it a real hardship to set up a contest.


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## ArtistSeries (Nov 8, 2004)

Chris Knight said:


> The reality is that most promotional contests like these have very short lifespans, from inception to completion, and there's no way that any company would spend the time and money trying to comply with the Regis' ridiculous "rules" because the ROI would be very low once it finally got started there.


I don't think that the Regis rules are ridiculous nor overly hard to implement. Many companies have no problem with them (Pepsi iPod contest comes to mind).

You may have problems with the French Rules of the Regis - thats fine - I can accept that. But to say that it's a nanny state.... 

A previous client of mine was in the internet lottery business, this was a worldwide multi-million dollar lottery (yes they actually do give the money away). We had to comply with various lottery and gaming comissions - Quebec is not the worst by far.


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