Does anyone know whether the Palm UI/UX elements are protected by IP/patents? Meaning cannot use these ideas or elements in new projects without fear of a lawsuit from whoever owns the Palm IP legacy now.
It's old enough that patents are definitely not an issue, and dead enough that trademarks are probably defunct. So any imitation/inspiration that falls short of obvious copyright infringement is unlikely to run into trouble.
UI/UX patents? Outside of the US it is hard to see how a court would validate that. IIRC they are excluded from patentability in the EU.
You can absolutely register your designs with EU patent office.