This is very interesting, do you have any pictures of this cease and desist order sent by Palm? When exactly was it sent? Be Incorporated was defunct as of the end of 2001, when OpenBeOS had hardly begun, the survey (ultimately ignored) on names for OpenBeOS is from 2002, the shell of Be Inc. ceased to exist in 2003 (after paying shareholders proceeds from the lawsuit) and the announcement that OpenBeOS was now called “Haiku” came in 2004.
OpenBeOS had no formal existence, there wasn’t yet anything like Haiku Inc. So who was the cease and desist order addressed to? Do you know why nobody else ever mentioned this? I think it certainly should have prompted a faster process than was observed.