One of the things that absolutely frustrates me about FFXI has always been the LS setup and static rules applied. When FFXIV came out, it was like they perfected the fluid and transferable ownership, but never thought to go back to FFXI and fix it there too.
If you are in an old LS from 2004 and the owner leaves the game... too bad so sad, your hands are tied unless you want to lose the sentimentality and hard work of the LS to create a new one. Let's not forget that in a dying game (in terms of server populations), creating a new LS is just pointless.
Now, looking at FC in FFXIV, you can have ownership passed to the most current active player. This allows a FC to not wither and die. Sure, there can be issues with the wrong person gaining control, but hopefully you let the right ones in to start.
Now, going back to FFXI, if someone is messing around with an LS in 2020 that no longer has a pearl holder, there is absolutely no recourse for a player/sack holder in the eyes of SE. You are considered a 3rd party informant and they can do nothing but tell you to leave the LS, blist any players, and come here to the forum board (per GM Zeigunav).
In essence, they will do nothing and you get punished because another player can break LS rules/guidelines without any adverse recourse. A player can water down an LS message with their own beliefs, but SE let's it go because they never evolved their policies to conform to much different gamer landscape from the 2003/2004 years.
While I understand FFXIV isn't a perfect system, it makes more sense for a game like FFXI to adopt some similar policies rather than let its dwindling fan base continue to find more things to be disappointed about. That leads to a lot more players moving to private servers or leaving the game all together.
I know, even though the GM told me to add my "feedback" to the forum, this will fall on SE's deaf ears, but at least they can't say I didn't follow their instructions to the letter.