NG-LLC rules and registration posted

The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge home page has been updated for 2009. The rules (pdf) and registration (pdf) documents have been posted here.

I notice an inconsistency in the competition window starting date. The rules document says it opens on July 1st but the home page currently says July 20th, presumably to highlight the Apollo 11 landing.

Section 4 of the document, especially subsection 4.2, seems overly aggressive to me with respect to the X PRIZE Foundation's clams to media rights. Apparently, a team has to give up the right to any income generated from their own videos, photos, etc. even for preparatory activities away from the place and day they attempt the competition flights. In fact, sounds like even posting a video on YouTube requires permission from XPF.

I don't understand why XPF should get all of these rights just for managing the contest for NASA. I don't see such rights going to the Spaceward Foundation in the rules (pdf) for the Power Beaming Challenge.

Update: Rand Simberg discusses the media rights issue in X-Prize Foundation Overreach? - Transterrestrial Musings. Also, Henry Vanderbilt writes about this in the first comment there.

Update 2: As he notes in the comments here, Will Pomerantz of the X PRIZE Foundation responds to questions over the media rights in a post at the Launch Pad blog.

Posted 06/05/09 | 01:51:39 by TopSpacer | Filed under: Space Prizes

Comments

Hi Clark--thanks for your post. I just added a response to these concerns (and the related ones raised by Rand), with some further detail and explanation about this issue to The Launch Pad. I think that this issue is not as harsh as it may have seemed at a quick read, so I tried to perform a more thorough analysis, with quotes directly from the Team Agreement itself.

You can find the post at: http://thelaunchpad.xprize....

Hopefully this addresses the concerns that you have raised. If not, feel free to engage us in a dialog–we’re always more than happy to answer questions about our competitions!

Posted by Will Pomerantz at 06/05/09 18:31:52

Hi Will,
Thanks for the clarification. Sounds a lot better to me now. We'll have to see, though, what the teams think.

I've added a link to your post here and in a new item at
http://hobbyspace.com/nucle...

- Clark

Posted by TopSpacer at 06/05/09 20:18:49

Hi Clark--thanks for adding the links. I appreciate it! I've been emailing with some of the teams / potential teams offline, so hopefully the issue has been addressed already. If you come across anyone who still has questions, feel free to send them my way! Best, Will

Posted by Will Pomerantz at 06/05/09 21:36:16

"I don't see such rights going to the Spaceward Foundation in the rules (pdf) for the Power Beaming Challenge."--A good point, still not answered. Why would XPF have the right to buy your lander (section 4.3)?? I was told XPF would not be claiming rights over winners' entries. Why would NASA have rights to license your technology (section 4.4)??? NASA is not providing winners with a grant of funds, NASA is awarding a prize.

Posted by Eurica Califorrniaa at 06/05/09 21:53:55

"Why would NASA have rights to license your technology (section 4.4)?"

That part I actually understand and agree with. The justification to NASA upper management and to Congress for Centennial Challenges is that it could lead to the development of technologies that benefit to NASA. Giving NASA the right to license a winning technology is really what the Challenges program is all about. There would not be any funding for the Challenges program without it.

- Clark

Posted by TopSpacer at 06/06/09 00:08:07

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