Elaborating more:
The growth of EFFC got slowed down a lot by BIO-Cogni Sauve (Biocognisafe):
these are the highlights of the translated article:
Bio-Cogni Save: an invention brings fire to the powder
An invention of a researcher at the Polytechnique, which could prevent dozens of fatal road accidents and save millions in damages, is the subject of a war to end in Superior Court fighting between shareholders of the small firm Bio Cogni-Save, in Montreal.
Bio Cogni-Save is insolvent since October and investors are struggling to find out who will pick up the rights to his invention: a computer linked to an infrared camera capable of detecting drowsiness among truck drivers long distance and prevent them before they asleep at the wheel.
Caught in the cross fire of Bio-Cogni Save, the Truck Company Group Robert, is waiting for the Court to know with whom it will continue to develop the SDS (detection system drowsiness).
The Group Robert refined and tested the SDS for the past two years, and the device is already being tested in several trucks.
At the beginning of 2000, Bruno Farbos, research associate at Polytechnic, is working on a solution to the serious problem of truck drivers who fall asleep at the wheel during long journeys.
In June 2004, he is presented with the entrepreneur and investor David Caroni. Both French, they join together.
M. Caroni provides sufficient capital to become majority shareholder and supports the direction of Bio-Save Cogni, two other investors put money, and Mr. Farbos receives shares in exchange for its innovation and its continued involvement in the development of the SDS.
The product must be further refined before being marketable, but Bio-Cogni however, had sold 15 prototypes to the important carrier Groupe Robert, can be read in the papers Court.
three years later, M. Farbos and Caroni do not agree on anything, except on the commercial potential of the idea: "Both in North America and in Europe, there is a strong demand among truckers," said La Presse. Truck drivers who fall asleep at the wheel are responsible for one-third of fatal accidents involving a lorry, "he added.
"In the United States, we are beginning to address these accidents in the same way as drinking and driving."
Farbos and another shareholder of Bio-Save Cogni (Medeiros)have now joined a firm competing ECN Holding, in Montreal. The shareholders blame each other for a litany of actions unfair and prosecution piled into Court.
Farbos and another shareholder asked the Court to order the dissolution of Bio-Save Cogni. But Caroni has reacted by putting his own firm in bankruptcy and by selling assets to the trustee of his choice.
Farbos, who was away in France who could not be reached yesterday, has filed another lawsuit to stop the sale of property under bankruptcy.
The trustee in the bankruptcy of Bio-Cogni Save for his part has received no less than three injunctions prohibiting competitors from using the technology.
At the carrier Groupe Robert, a public demonstration of the SDSwas hastily cancelled, which was to take place last Friday and was described as belonging to the rival firm which now employs M. Farbos.
"The trustee (Bio-Cogni SAVE) said that the technology belongs to the bankruptcy and nobody else," said Jean-Yves Tuesday Lessard, vice-president of Groupe Robert.
"But we continue to do our experiments, these devices are with us and that is important.» And it is an instrument that could be put forward as soon as their legal situation will be resolved. "
The bankruptcy hearings on this issue are continuing tomorrow (Thursday).
so this is what happened in the past. to take it further, I went to the "Superior Court of Quebec" website to check what the court really decided. And it appears that ECN Holding cannot use the SDS anymore. Also, the SDS patent is still pending. Thats why people lost faith in the company and its potential. Also they are forbidden to work with Air Liquide Canada and another big customer on a similar solution as the SDS technology.
According to the article, Bruno Farbos appealed the decision of the court but I cannot find info about this. Meantime, Farbos and Medeiros are free to work with EFFC on another technological solution since end of november as confirmed by the court order and the PR of EFFC dated 28th of Nov.
As of today, they already disclosed that CRAM is their new technology, and they are working with customers are provided in their latest PR. I guess CRAM is not similar to SDS. But even if BCS sues them for falsification of technology, the court could take years to prove CRAM is the same as SDS. And it will get nowhere.
Now that all of this is behind us, the company is finally focusing on bringing the product to market and getting new customers
Market Data 
Markets 
AI
