[Access Systems (formerly PalmSource) has agreed to license the Palm OS Garnet source code to Palm, Inc. including rights to modify the code base for its use in Palm Treo smartphones and other handhelds computers. ]

Sunnyvale, CA -- ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc. today announced it has entered into a non-exclusive agreement with Palm, Inc., that gives Palm a perpetual license for the Palm OS Garnet source code. ACCESS and Palm have also agreed to an expansion of the two companies' existing patent license. Palm will pay ACCESS a total of $44 million (USD).

Under terms of the agreement, ACCESS has granted Palm specific rights to modify the code base of Palm OS Garnet for use in its devices such as the Palm Treo smartphone family and the company's other handheld computers. The agreement also grants Palm the right to use Palm OS Garnet in whole, or in part, in any product from Palm and together with any other system technologies. To ensure forward-compatibility of Palm OS Garnet applications, ACCESS and Palm have agreed to continue to measure compatibility against the compatibility test harness in use between the two companies.

"ACCESS remains strongly committed to supporting its Palm OS licensees and developers. We are also committed to preserving and furthering the pioneering legacy of our operating system," said Jeanne Seeley, CEO of ACCESS Systems Americas, Inc. "This agreement gives Palm more flexibility as it designs new devices while also enabling Palm OS Garnet developers to preserve their current investment in applications for Palm OS Garnet-based devices. We are pleased Palm has extended its commitment to the Palm OS platform and we look forward continuing to work with them."

As a member of the ACCESS CO., LTD., group of companies, ACCESS Systems Americas is continuing to evolve the legacy and heritage of Palm OS with its next generation operating system -- the ACCESS Linux Platform. The ACCESS Linux Platform is the industry's first fully integrated, commercial grade Linux-based operating system for mobile phones and devices. The ACCESS Linux Platform includes compatibility with Palm OS Garnet through its GHost (Garnet Host) layer. ACCESS has publicly demonstrated that most properly written 68K Palm OS applications will run on ACCESS Linux Platform-based devices with little or no modification.

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