[lftl]

I think the Maps API is different than the Geocode in that the Maps API requires you to grab a key here:

http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html

So to avoid it in that sense you'd have to force every one of your clients to go grab an API key and input it.

[willfully_lost]

Look at the note at the top of the page you linked, Version 3 of the Maps API doesn't require a key.

[mildweed]

Not only does v3 not require an API key, as of Sept 28 (a couple days before the rate limiting went into effect) sending a v2 API key to v3 will cause the request to fail:

http://groups.google.com/group/google-maps-js-api-v3-notify/...

Sounds like they're laying the ground work for v3 to use API keys again.