But you didn't. And, like you, most people will not pay that fee unless they really want that name (in other words, they are end users). If you desperately need a name for your company and are willing to go 6 figures or more, $19 is completely inconsequential. And nobody is going tell their boss/investors that they are going with secondbestdomain.com because they object to paying $19 in principle.
Equally, I can't see anyone saying "I'll never buy another million dollar domain from them again because they ripped me off with that $19 fee." To many people, we are all squatters anyway. In this case, telepathy.com is telling a buyer right at the start "you have to play by our rules." That's an immense psychological advantage to start a negotiation that way. Might be worth risking the sacrifice of a possible serious buyer for that advantage.