Be Incorporated

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Be, Incorporated was the company that developed the BeOS operating system and BeBox computer. It was founded by Jean-Louis Gassée in 1990 and its assets were bought by Palm, Inc. for US$11 million in 2001, at which point the company entered dissolution. The company then initiated litigation against Microsoft for anti-competitive business practices, specifically the prohibition of OEM's to allow dual-boot systems containing both Microsoft and non-Microsoft operating systems.

The suit was settled in September 2003 with a US$23.25 million payout to Be, Inc.

In addition to BeOS, Be also produced BeIA, an ill-fated OS for internet appliances. It was however used commercially by Sony and DT Reasearch, amongst others, during its short lifespan.

Be's corporate offices were located in Menlo Park, California; as well as regional sales offices in France and Japan. The company has however relocated to Mountain View in California for the duration of its dissolution.

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