It seems Google's once, and, for-all-I-know-still partner in the biz of simplified domain name registering, the leading enterprize in this field GoDaddy.com [ http://blogoscoped.com/search/?q=GoDaddy] has had quite a few sleazy tactics up their sleeves... such as profiteering from expired, then long-parked domain names, which, if the spirit of ICANN were to be observed, should have been released into the available/free-for-all pool rather than be subjected to such unisided (and thus counter-competitive) unfair business advantage in GoDaddy's, or their subsidiarys' favor. Indeed, the lengths to which the company has gone to distance itself, and cover up the tracks, is quite telling... especially in view of their official pledge to combat online "pharmacies" (often selling counterfeit, expired, or illegally-market-flooded elsewhere-prescription "brand-name" drugs of unverifiable health effect), that seem to be prime beneficiaries of such bulk-parked domains.

Read it all here, a truly-memorable post detailing the procedure – may someone @ICANN wake up soon and ACT:

http://domainnamewire.com/2008/12/03/standard-tactics-llc-how-godaddy-profits-from-expired-domains/

[ via TechCrunch; also read the comments
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/03/godaddy-uses-standard-tactics-to-warehouse-domains/]

Submitted by Ianf, whose once-important website domain has lapsed, and, before it could be extended, turned up on a known domain-harvester's page (acting in consort with GoDaddy.com for all I know) with asking price of US$475 (previous cost $15/year).