>> It's really really hard to beat OpenBeOS (look at OpenOffice.org) > >But it is necessary. BeOS is a brand name and brand names are worth >lots of money because they are important marketing tools. Be, Inc >invested a lot into building this brand name. Palm purchased Be, so >they now own the rights to the name BeOS, and they probably paid >quite a bit for it. Since the name OpenBeOS is clearly derived from >BeOS, Palm could sue (or just threaten to sue) Michael Phipps for >trademark infringement. Unless Palm licenses the use of the name >BeOS to Michael Phipps, we cannot use it. (On the other hand, >trademarks must be defended. If you can prove Palm has known about >OpenBeOS for quite some time and did nothing about it, they may lose >their right to the trademark and we could claim it. That, however, >is not something I'd bet on.) I brought just this last part up to my lawyer. He said that it really isn't quite true. He has seen cases won, literally years later.