Character names on long-time inactive players

The other day, a couple friends convinced me to start playing again on a different server. I was forced to change names because someone on the other server had a character with the same name, but supposedly they were inactive for over 5 years. I reached out to a GM the other day and he couldn't do anything so he sent me here.

So if purging characters on long-term inactive accounts is a stretch, I offer you this idea. When someone moves to a new server with a name conflict, there should be a cut-off time (like, maybe 2 years) where the offending name is given over to the moving character. After a certain point, it's unlikely anyone gone that long will come back.