I'm sure it does happen, but I'm not sure it always happens deliberately. It's identity theft if a name is given to a plant that is not yours. It deprives a buyer of any knowledge of its heritage, it deprives a hybridizer, whether alive or not, of credit and it definitely creates a 'buyer beware' situation. With any online or mail order situation, it would be easy to purchase a plant you might already have or be able to purchase at a much lower price if the new name is being marketed as exclusive and 'new'. That's deception. I personally would have major trust issues in making transactions with an enterprise who indulged in the practice.
