Avante suing Diebold, ES&S, & Sequoia for patent infringement!!

[Stevepol]

And I have a sneaking suspicion that they have the goods on them, maybe somebody on the inside of the companies, blowing the whistle. Maybe not, but the firm that's conducting the suit looks like a very good one, and I know that AVante was the first out with this voter-verified paper print-out. Even now, I feel sure that Avante is head an shoulders above the big three they're suing in every aspect of the technology. They are probably too ethical and politically neutral to get all these contracts. (VotersUnite)

May they succeed beyond their wildest expectations and may a hold be put on the Big Three during all upcoming elections until the litigation is settled.

May Avante come out of it stronger than ever raking in the money from their competitors and encouraging paper ballots and audits all across the country!!



Inventor of Electronic Voting Verification System Takes Industry Giants to Court for Patent Infringement
Wednesday July 12, 11:19 am ET
SimmonsCooper Files Lawsuit on Behalf of AVANTE International Technology Corporation

EAST ALTON, Ill., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- SimmonsCooper LLC has filed a lawsuit against the three largest voting machine manufacturers for infringing AVANTE International Technology Corporation's Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) and optical scan patents.
Named in the suit are Diebold Election Systems, Election Systems & Software, Inc. (ES&S), and Sequoia Voting Systems. The suit was filed on behalf of Kevin Chung, CEO of Avante International Technology Corporation, Inc., who invented VVPAT.

AVANTE's VVPAT and optical scanning (which includes automatic ballot marking) patents allow voters to verify that their electronically-cast ballots are being accurately counted while also allowing for auditability between the paper record and the electronic record.

snip.....

Link: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060712/clw527.html?.v=33

[Wilms]

1. The hits keep comin'! n/t

[FogerRox]

2. Avante is from NJ, Princeton

I have talkied to these guys, they are a bunch of engineer geeks. The 30 inch ballot face of the VOte Trakker is well done,
-touch a race, it expands to accomodate a large font.
-IIRC Linux is the OS.
-DRE burns a CD-ROM of the DRE vote tally.
-DRE has a hyraulic adjustment to raise and lower the DRE face, for example, whellchair voters.
-DRE accomodates something like 30 languages, at any time.

Warren county NJ bought about a 100 of these Vote Trakkers, the only sales nation wide, that I know of.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Sweet Bleedin' Jeebus on a Garage Creeper, Rog!

We did something kinda RIGHT out here? You mean our freeloaders made a smart decision?

I think I gotta go lay down for a week.

[FogerRox]

14. LOl.... Warren County.. yup.. do you know

CJ Koop?

Same county that used OPtec Eagle 3's, for about 13 years, paper ballots via Opscans, the last county in NJ, to go DRE. Legendary Status in NJ Election Reforms circles.

Tandalayo_Scheisskopf, I am wondering if I have bumped into you, DFA, or Progressive Caucus? Camp Wellstone...

[Wilms]

4. I talked to the owner once, too.

I got the sense they're trying to do the right thing. And are getting their hands tied a lot.

Glad they're biting.

[Bill Bored]

8. Keep an eye on NY.

http://www.nyvv.org/doc/CountyEquipmentSelection.htm

[bleever]

5. Maybe someone else remember the software the Justice Dept. stole

which enabled tracking case files, back in the Reagan era.

Thornburg, Poindexter...back before most people had any idea about what "software" was.

The authors eventually won their suit and were vindicated, against one of the most bullying Justice Departments ever known.

:thumbsup:

[rumpel]

9. Gut feeling -they will try to seal it. n/t

[BeFree]

6. Can of worms?

What about, if during discovery, all the worms in the software come pouring out? Thats where the votes are stolen... by the software.

You can bet that if Avante has been kept from doing business with the HAVA dollars, that Avante was not in on the theft angle that Delay, et al, worked into the $4 billion vote buying scheme.

[texpatriot2004]

7. Electronic AND AUDITABLE...imagine that! nm

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. what are the advantages to us?

I was tickled with this too, at first, but then started hearing more
about what is really involved here.

Avante is trying to control the patent framework of the VVPAT.

Actually, do we want any voting machine vendor doing that?

If Avante was suing about the other vendors forming a monopoly
on things, that would be different.

Thoughts? More info?

[Boredtodeath]

11. Avante are the good guys

Watch the May 5, 2004 EAC hearing videotape. The Avante CEO admits they will perform work they think is in violation of the law only if the election officals INSIST and sign a document saying they are requiring Avante to do so.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

12. I know they are good

We tried to get them in NC, but they wouldn't even try to bid
in our market, because of our state's long term stance of anti paper.

Then, when our law was introduced, (not yet passed) we asked them to
send in reps to our SBOE to try to get their foot in the door here,
but they didn't.

Of course, NC is not a state that has been friendly to
AccuPoll or Avante. (Except for the election integrity advocates).

I doubt that Avante is going to win the patent on the VVPAT,
but anyway,I don't want anyone cornering the market on VVPAT.

But I know that they are the good guys.

[Boredtodeath]

13. We should hope they win, because.....

If they prohibit Diebold and ES&S from voter verified paper ballots, those vendors are forbidden in states with VVPAT laws, unless they sell voter marked VVPTs in the form of optical scanners.

[FogerRox]

15. We are now entering a post HAVA environment . . . . . .

I think/believe Avante knows this too. There will be a post HAVA buying spree, in slow motion, sort of like "HAVA II", if you will. As juridictions realize their equipment sucks, isnt accurate, is really quite expensive. As more elections go down on this HAVA purchased equipment .... anyone that audits their local/state races will find problems. Many problems have shown their face this year, during the states Primaries. This has fouled the minds of some officials on the idea of E-Voting..

If we win in November, then some good might actually get done, hopefully a more carefully thought out purchase.... then we can throw the tea into the Harbor, LOL.

[FogerRox]

16. It may be like a lisensing issue

Pay us to use the VVPAT.

[Wilms]

17. .

[FogerRox]

18. Pix from the Avnte factory, Last year. June.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x440278