last updated: January 8, 2008

Microsoft is committed to protecting your privacy. This privacy statement explains data collection and use practices of the Microsoft OEM Partner Center Web site (the "Site"); it does not apply to other online or offline Microsoft sites, products or services. By accessing the Site, you are consenting to the information and use practices described in this privacy statement. For additional privacy information, please see the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement which contains links to supplementary information about specific Microsoft sites or services.

Collecting Your Personal Information
We will collect personal information if you choose to register on the Site. The personal information we collect includes your name, company name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, company URL, country or location, phone, fax, professional information, and language. We may collect other information when needed to provide a service you request.

If you supply your fax number, we will consider your submission as consent to receiving faxes from Microsoft in the future.

We also collect certain information about your computer hardware and software. This information may include your IP address, browser type, operating system, domain name, access times and referring Website addresses. This information is used for the operation of the service, to maintain quality of the service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of the Site.

Microsoft keeps track of the pages our customers visit within the Site, in order to determine what pages and services are the most popular. This data is also used to deliver customized content and advertising to customers whose behavior indicates that they are interested in a particular subject area.

Use of Your Personal Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To make the Site easier for you to use by not making you enter your personal information more than once.
• To help you quickly find software information, services, or Microsoft OEM System Builder Program information.
• To help us create and deliver content most relevant to you.
• To alert you to product upgrades, special offers, updated information, and other new services from the Microsoft OEM System Builder Program.

We will merge site-visitation data with anonymous demographic information for research purposes, and we may use this information in aggregate to provide more relevant content. We also combine site-visitation data with your personal information in order to provide you with personalized content.

We occasionally hire other companies to provide limited services on our behalf, including packaging, mailing and delivering purchases, answering customer questions about products or services, sending postal mail, and processing event registration. We will only provide those companies with the information they need to deliver the service. They are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information and are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose.

Microsoft may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Microsoft or the Site; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Microsoft and our family of Websites; or (c) act in urgent circumstances to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees or agents, users of Microsoft products or services, or members of the public.

Personal information collected on the Site may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country where Microsoft, its subsidiaries, affiliates, or agents are located. By using the Site, you consent to any such transfer of information outside your country. Microsoft abides by the safe harbor framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of data from the European Union.

Control of Your Personal Information
Except as otherwise described in this statement, personal information you provide on the Site will not be used or shared outside of Microsoft and its controlled subsidiaries and affiliates without your permission.

You may go to the OEM Partner Edition Newsletter sign up page to proactively make choices about the use and sharing of your personal information. There, you can decide what information you want to receive and how you want to receive it. Or you can tell us not to contact you by removing check marks from the contact option boxes.

Please be aware that this privacy statement and the choices you make on the Site will not necessarily apply to personal information you may have provided to Microsoft in the context of other separately operated Microsoft products or services.

Access to Your Personal Information
You may review and update your personal information at any time at the Microsoft Profile Center. You can:

• View and edit personal information by selecting My Personal Information from the left navigation.
• Tell us whether you want to receive information about our products or services.
• Tell us whether you want us to share your personal information with third parties so they may send you information about their products or services. If you want to share your information, select My Contact Preferences from the left navigation to receive information about our products or services.
• Change your desired e-mail format by selecting Manage Subscriptions from the left navigation
• In order to update your profile, you will need to go to: http://oem.microsoft.com and click on the Your Profile link in the top toolbar. This will take you to the Microsoft Partner site and allow you to update your information there, which in turn will update on the OEM Partner Center Web site.

Security of Your Personal Information
Microsoft is committed to protecting the security of your personal information. We use a variety of security technologies and procedures to help protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. For example, we store the personal information you provide on computer servers with limited access, that are located in controlled facilities. Additionally, when we transmit sensitive personal information (such as a credit card number) over the Internet, we protect it through the use of encryption, such as the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol.

Use of Cookies
We use cookies on this Site to enhance your browsing experience. We use a session cookie that expires soon after you leave the Site. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. For example, if you personalize a Web page, or navigate within a site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of delivering relevant content, eases site navigation, and so on. When you return to the Website, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the site's features that you customized.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of this or other Websites you visit.

Use of Web Beacons
Web beacons, also known as clear gif technology, or action tags, may be used to assist in delivering the cookie on the Site. This technology tells us how many visitors clicked on key elements (such as links or graphics) on a Web page. We do not use this technology to access your personal information; it is a tool we use to compile aggregated statistics about Website usage. We may share aggregated site statistics with partner companies but do not allow other companies to place clear gifs on our sites.

Microsoft Windows Live ID
This Site uses Windows Live™ ID to provide sign-in and registration services. In order to sign in to this Site using Windows Live ID, you will be asked to type your e-mail address and a password. This same (Microsoft) Passport Network account allows you to access many other Windows Live ID participating sites and services. If you create a Windows Live ID at this Site, you are simultaneously registering with the Site and opening a Windows Live ID account. All of the registration information you provide will be stored by the Site and some or all of that information will also be stored by Windows Live ID in your Windows Live ID profile. To learn more about the Windows Live ID service, the information stored in the Windows Live ID profile, and how Windows Live ID uses and helps to protect your personal information, please read the Windows Live ID privacy statement at http://www.passport.net/Consumer/PrivacyPolicy.asp?PPlcid=1033

Changes to This Statement
We may occasionally update this privacy statement. When we do, we will also revise the "last updated" date at the top of the privacy statement. For material changes to this statement, we will notify you either by placing prominent notice on the home page of the Site or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to periodically review this privacy statement to stay informed about how we are protecting the personal information we collect. Your continued use of the service constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.

Contact Information
Microsoft welcomes your comments regarding this privacy statement. If you believe that Microsoft has not adhered to this privacy statement, please contact us by e-mail and we will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly determine and remedy the problem.

To find contact details for the Microsoft subsidiary or affiliate in your country, see http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/