Man buys the google.com domain

Link.

What a shame he didn't buy it through some other registrar . Or would any other registrar have cancelled the transaction through fear? What legal grounds could there be for it to be cancelled? Is it allowed for other domains?

Domains can be reclaimed by the owners. In fact, even if google let it lapse for some time they could still get it back because it is clearly a domain that goes with their brand. Others that have never owned a domain have been able to take them over because they belong to their brand.

What I haven't quite worked out in this case is whether the domain was ever truly available publicly. The domain was offered via the google domains registrar - it could just be that there was a coding issue on the site that allowed the domain to be made available despite it not actually being so.

In general domains that are brand based pretty much belong to the brand if they choose to take them up. See this news story.

In reply to a post by ian72:

What I haven't quite worked out in this case is whether the domain was ever truly available publicly. The domain was offered via the google domains registrar - it could just be that there was a coding issue on the site that allowed the domain to be made available despite it not actually being so.

I think that was the case, that it was never actually expired publicly, judging by whois:

Created on..............: 1997-09-15.
Expires on..............: 2020-09-13.
Record last updated on..: 2013-02-28.

Chap in Derby bought the domain names for the new 'indoor cycle track' before the council even had thought about it, they complained and in the end he was ordered to hand them to the council !.
His idea was to sell them to the council and make a few ££££'s