But most lessee dead businesses would eventually lose track of their credentials, and in fact many of the people simply lost interest or even up and died. A system whereby a dead link or a parking page results in "property tax auctions" would have kept the ecosystem healthier by moving out the dead wood.

Milliondollarapp (yes, I'm plugging a personal project, but for the sake of discussion) includes both of these approaches. Unfortunately it's been 90% complete for 7 years, and could really use a collaborator or someone with a more photogenic backstory to market it.

What made Milliondollarhomepage a sensation was its founder was trying to raise money to go to university, and that soft spot helped him sell out in about a month. He caught lightning in a bottle and good on him, even if he never ended up going to university for that purpose.