Resolution with search term including "@" and omitting "/"

Curl 7.21.2: sort of bug.

At one time "http://www.nytimes.com?value=something" would fail
(the hostname was taken as "www.nytimes.com?value=something") which
was not critical since one could add the missing "/" but it caused
problems with sites which redirected to something like,
http://sitehame?sessionID=something

That was fixed quite some time ag and now
http://www.nytimes.com?value=something
goes to www.nytimes.com but it is sensitive to the value and
http://www.nytimes.com?sessionID=aoenroerno@onerere
attempts to go to "onerere" (taking the value after the "@"
as the hostname) while
http://www.nytimes.com/?sessionID=aoenroerno@onerere
works (goes to www.nytimes.com with the "/").

Again, the sensitivity to the missing "/" ending the hostname is
not critical for URLs which one sees and can correct but what
happens when a site redirects and includes 'certain characters
in a search term but appears, say, in a redirection (when one
has set curl to follow such redirections)?

This actually just happened to me in checking a spamvertized URL,
http://izixt.hedrugstore.ru?qcu=_MY_EMAIL_ADDRESS_
where my email address (_MY_USER_NAME_@_MY_ISP_) sent me to my
own ISP.