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Abstract

This document provides guidelines to Local Internet Registries (LIRs) on the steps to take when the organisation operating an LIR changes ownership (due to a merger, sale or takeover) or stops serving entirely as an LIR.

1.0 Introduction

When an organisation or company operating an LIR changes ownership status or stops serving as an LIR there are financial, IP address space and RIPE Database issues that need resolving. Therefore, the RIPE NCC must always be contacted when an LIR changes ownership or closes.

2.0 LIR Ownership Change

In the case of an LIR ownership change, the LIR should contact the RIPE NCC at lir-help@ripe.net Link: mailto:lir-help@ripe.net .

Only registered LIR contact person(s) can discuss the change of an LIR ownership with the RIPE NCC.

The following steps are required to change the organisation operating an LIR:

1. Clarify the type of change:

  • A takeover of one LIR by another LIR, closing one of the LIRs.
  • A takeover of one LIR by another LIR, both remain open.
  • A takeover of an LIR by a non-LIR.

2. Outline the details of the change, stating:

  • The reason for the change of organisation.
  • The name of the company/companies involved.
  • The number of LIRs affected by the change.
  • The RegID(s) of the LIR(s) affected by the change.

3. Present the following documents to the RIPE NCC:

  • Confirmation from all parties agreeing to the change (See section 2.3).
  • Updated list of contact person(s) (See section 2.4).
  • Updated billing e-mail contact details, including any changes to VAT number.
  • A new service agreement, if applicable (See section 2.2).
  • Legal documentation supporting the name change, if applicable (See section 2.2).
  • Overview of utilisation in all allocations (See section 2.6).

2.1 IP Address Space

Following any type of change (such as mergers, acquisitions or takeovers) of an organisation operating an LIR, the RIPE NCC will review the status of any IP address allocations that are held by the new organisation.

2.2 Service Agreement

When an organisation operating an LIR changes ownership, a new service agreement may need to be signed. The RIPE NCC will need to request a new service agreement from the new owners if:

  • The organisation operating the LIR changes name, or
  • The LIR wishes to change their RegID.

The registration documentation from the relevant Chamber of Commerce, or its country equivalent, supporting the name change must be submitted to the RIPE NCC.

The Standard RIPE NCC Service Agreement is available from the RIPE Document Store at:

http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/service-agreement.html

If the organisation operating the LIR does not change its name and keeps the original RegID, the LIR can continue operating under the same service agreement.

2.3 Change in Operating Organisation

In cases where an organisation operating an LIR takes over one or more LIRs, confirmation of the takeover from all parties involved or their legal successors must be included.

2.4 Contact Person(s)

It is very important to notify the RIPE NCC, if there is a change of contact person(s). This is essential, as only registered contact person(s) can submit Internet resource requests to the RIPE NCC and provide updates to our internal registry files.

If the contact person(s) of the affected LIR has changed, the RIPE NCC may adjust the Assignment Window of the LIR until the contact person(s) is up-to-date with RIPE NCC procedures and RIPE community policies.

If there are no current registered contacts remaining with the LIR, a fax signed by the Managing Director of the LIR on organisation letterhead is required to implement these changes. These changes should include the new registered contact person(s) for the LIR.

2.5 RegID

It is not necessary to obtain a new Registry Identifier (RegID) if the name of the organisation that operates the LIR changes. The RegID is merely an internal identifier used by the RIPE NCC to distinguish the various LIRs. It does not have to correspond to the legal name of the organisation operating the LIR.

If an LIR insists on changing their RegID, a fee corresponding to the sign-up fee for a new LIR will be charged to cover additional administrative work generated. Please see the current version of the RIPE NCC Charging Scheme available from the RIPE Document Store at:

http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/charging.html

2.6 Transfers of Address Allocations

All transfers of address allocations from one LIR to another LIR (or to a non-LIR) require approval by

1.0 Definitions

For the purposes of this document Internet Number Resource records refer to:

  • The registered allocations and assignments of a Member
  • The independent Internet number resources assigned through the Member as a “sponsoring LIR” to an End User

2.0 Introduction

In order for the RIPE NCC to maintain an accurate registry, it must hold accurate data concerning:

  • The natural or legal persons holding the registration of Internet Number Resources
  • The Internet Number Resource records that are registered to the natural and legal persons
This means that any transfer of Internet Number Resources from one party to another, or any change to the legal status of a party holding the registration of Internet Number Resources, must be communicated to the RIPE NCC. It is expected that all database objects relating to this allocation be correct and up-to-date before the transfer occurs. Transferred allocations containing a large amount of unassigned address space may be set aside and kept by the RIPE NCC until the other allocations held by the LIR are considered fully used (about 80%). Once the LIR has reached full utilisation in its other allocations, the reserved allocations will be made available to the LIR. For further details on allocation policy, please refer to the document "IPv4

The Member must inform the RIPE NCC if one or both of the following changes occurs:

Internet Number Resource records are transferred. Such transfers may take place:
  • Because of a change in the business structure of the Member, for example in the case of a merger or acquisition of the Member's organisation; or
    • In the case of a pure transfer of an allocation from a Member to another Member according to RIPE Policies (Section 5.5, IPv4 Address Allocation and Assignment Policies in for the RIPE NCC Service

    Region" available from the RIPE Document Store at:

    http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/ipv4-policies.html

    2.7 Takeover Fee

    In cases where an organisation operating an LIR takes over one or more LIRs, a takeover fee is due for every LIR taken over (e.g. if three LIRs are taken over, the fee is paid three times). All current outstanding invoices for the LIRs being taken over will also have to

    Region Link: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/ipv4-policies#55 ). Such a transfer may also be facilitated through the RIPE NCC Listing Service. Link: /manage-ips-and-asns/resource-transfers-and-mergers/listing/
  • The Member changes its official legal name. Such a change may occur, for example, because of a merger or acquisition of the Member's organisation.

    • This document describes the procedures to be followed for such changes to be properly communicated to, and registered with, the RIPE NCC.

    Note:

    If a change in the Member's official legal name is accompanied by a transfer of Internet Number Resource records, the Member must first inform the RIPE NCC of the name change and then of the transfer.

    If a change in the Member's business structure is not accompanied by a transfer of Internet Number Resource records or a change in the Member's official legal name, then the RIPE NCC does not need to be informed of this change.

    3.0 Transfer of Internet Number Resource Records

    If a Member transfers their Internet Number Resource records to a third party for any reason, this transfer must be declared to, and approved by, the RIPE NCC.

    3.1 Submission of the Request for Transfer

    One of the involved parties must submit a request by email to the RIPE NCC for the transfer to be executed:

    A registered contact or an authorised person (e.g., senior manager, legal successor) must send the request.

    The RIPE NCC will ask for the following information:

    i. Information regarding the parties involved, including:

    • The full official legal names of all parties involved
    • Which party will transfer the Internet Number Resource records and which party will receive them
    • Recent registration papers issued by the relevant national authorities for all involved parties

    If the current official legal names of the involved Members are different from the ones in the relevant signed RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement, then the procedure described under Section 4.0 Link: #official-legal-name must be followed prior to the transfer of the Internet Number Resource records. The procedure described under Section 4.0 is not necessary for the transferring Member if the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement of the transferring Member is terminated (see Closure of LIR and Deregistration of Internet Number Resources, Section A.1.1. Link: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/closure#11 and Section A.1.2. Link: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/closure#12 ).

    ii. A description of the reason for the transfer (for example, due to merger, acquisition, transfer of allocation according to the RIPE policies)

    If the transfer is taking place due to a change in the structure of the organisation(s) involved, a description of the changes among the organisation(s) is necessary. The description must be accompanied by all official legal documents proving/supporting the changes the request is based on.

    iii. A list of the Internet Number Resource records that are requested to be transferred. If allof the transferring Member's Internet Number Resource records registered are being transferred, a confirmation of this is requested.

    The Member must also indicate any End User assignment agreements that are requested to be transferred.

    If a Member transfers all of their Internet Number Resource records, the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement of the Member may be terminated (see Closure of LIR and Deregistration of Internet Number Resources, Section A.1.1. Link: https://www.ripe.net/publications/docs/closure#11 ).

    iv. The correct contact details of all organisations involved

    The RIPE NCC may ask the organisations involved to confirm the correctness of their contact details or to update them. The contact details include the billing contact details and the VAT number details.

    v. A Transfer Agreement signed by both parties or by their legal successors

    The RIPE NCC will make a template of the Transfer Agreement available. Either party may submit the Transfer Agreement to the RIPE NCC, signed by authorised persons for both parties. The RIPE NCC may ask the other party/parties to confirm their agreement to the transfer. The confirmation must be authorised (signed or sent) by a contact person or authorised person (e.g., senior manager, legal successor).

    If the transferring party no longer exists by the time the RIPE NCC is being informed, the receiving party must send:

    • an official document (issued by a national authority) confirming the closure of the transferring party; and
    • a copy of an older signed agreement between the relevant parties mentioning the transfer of the Internet Number Resource records. If such an agreement is not available, the receiving party must send confirmation of the transfer to the RIPE NCC signed by an authorised person (e.g., senior manager, legal successor). The RIPE NCC reserves the right to reverse the transfer should another party object to this transfer and provide an agreement that proves that the Internet Number Resource records should have been transferred to them.

    vi. An overview of the utilisation of all allocations and of the status of all independent Internet Number Resource assignments

    The RIPE NCC may ask for an overview of the utilisation of all Internet Number Resources registered to the Member and of all End User assignment agreements signed by the Member.

    3.2 If the Receiving Organisation is not yet a Member

    Members may wish to transfer their Internet Number Resource records to another Member or to an organisation that is not yet a Member.

    If the Internet Number Resource records are transferred to a non-Member, the receiving organisation must apply to be a Member by signing the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement before the transfer takes place (more information on how to become a Member is available Link: https://www.ripe.net/lir-services/member-support/become-a-member ).

    If the receiving organisation refuses to do the above, the RIPE NCC will not transfer the Internet Number Resource records to them.

    The request for the transfer can be submitted as described above (Section 1).

    3.3 Financial Consequences

    All outstanding invoices and all outstanding financial obligations must be paid in full.

    The transfer of address allocations also incurs a takeover fee and does not vary according to the amount of address space being transferred (e.g. if three allocations are being transferred from LIR A to LIR B, the fee is only paid once).

    3.0 Closing an LIR

    In the case of a closure of an LIR, the RIPE NCC should be contacted at least three months prior to the required closure date at lir-help@ripe.net Link: mailto:lir-help@ripe.net .

    Only registered LIR contact person(s) can discuss a closure of an LIR with the RIPE NCC. In case of bankruptcy, the court-appointed administrator may take over these responsibilities.

    To cease operations, an LIR is required to take the following four steps:

    1. Send the RIPE NCC a written request to officially close the LIR. State the reasons for closure of the LIR and state the intention to return the unassigned address space.
    2. Provide the RIPE NCC with documentation of all IP assignments made from address space allocated by the RIPE NCC.
    3. Provide a list of any End Users that have expressed a need to keep their assigned IP address space and/or Autonomous System Number (ASN). Contact information such as e-mail addresses of these End Users should be included. (See section 3.7)
    4. Verify that the contents of the RIPE Database are up-to-date. A closing LIR is responsible for removing any objects entered by them in the RIPE Database that are no longer valid. Please send a confirmation to the RIPE NCC that all obsolete and invalid objects have been removed. (See section 3.8)

    3.1 Further Assignments

    A closing LIR is not allowed to make any further assignments from its address space allocations.

    3.2 Finance

    An LIR will continue to be billed for services until a formal request to be closed is sent by a registered contact person(s) of the LIR.

    In cases of mergers, the LIR whose allocation has been transferred to another LIR will continue to be billed until any inconsistencies are resolved.

    3.3 Transfers of Address Allocations from a Closing LIR

    If an LIR wishes to transfer its allocations to another existing LIR, it must provide the documentation about all assignments to the LIR receiving the transferred allocation. As outlined above, all transfers require approval by the RIPE NCC and all database objects must be valid and up-to-date.

    3.4 Open Address Space Requests

    As soon as the LIR decides to close, it should halt any open requests for IP address space and refer the End Users to the list of LIRs. This will prevent the customer from having to renumber at a later date. This list is available at:

    http://www.ripe.net/lir/registries/indices/index.html

    3.5 End Users Keeping Address Assignments

    A closing LIR should always encourage its End Users to renumber into an address allocation held by another LIR. This way, customer assignments can then be routed as part of the other LIR's allocation. Organisations in receipt of a Provider Aggregatable (PA) assignment should note that a new provider will not be able to announce an aggregate block. They may, therefore, have problems getting their addresses routed.

    For more information, please see the RIPE documents "Smallest RIPE NCC Allocation / Assignment Sizes" and "Provider Independent versus Provider Aggregatable Address Space" available from the RIPE Document Store at:

    http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/smallest-alloc-sizes.html

    http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/pi-pa.html

    The LIR should also supply the RIPE NCC with a list of Assignments kept by End Users in the following format:

    Inetnum Range Size Date Netname
    193.0.0.0 - 193.0.1.255 512 19950101 RIPE-NCC

    3.6 Continued Internet Connectivity to End Users

    The End Users can continue to use the address space already assigned to them by the closing LIR. The LIR will continue to provide Internet connectivity to its End Users as an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Assignments made by an LIR that has closed are valid for as long as the original criteria under which they were assigned remain valid. (See section 3.8)

    3.7 Discontinued Internet Connectivity to End Users

    If the LIR will no longer provide Internet connectivity to End Users with assigned address space, this address space should be retrieved from the End Users by the LIR as they renumber. It is the LIR's responsibility to help its End Users with renumbering.

    3.8 Database Responsibilities

    LIRs are responsible for the accuracy of the data they enter into the RIPE Database. In the case of a closure of an LIR, the LIR should remove any objects in the RIPE Database that are no longer valid. This includes inetnum, aut-num and domain objects with obsolete information.

    In cases where End Users of an LIR keep the address space assigned to them after the LIR closes, the LIR maintainer in the database objects representing these assignments needs to be removed and replaced by the RIPE NCC maintainer. The LIR should provide the RIPE NCC with a list of relevant database objects agreeing to the RIPE NCC overwriting the current LIR maintainer.

    3.9 Unassigned Address Space

    Unassigned address space will be returned to the RIPE NCC and will revert back to the public pool of IP address space. It can be assigned by the RIPE NCC as necessary. Should an LIR decide to close and reopen at a later date, it must repeat all formal steps required to establish a new LIR.

    4.0 When an LIR is Closed by the RIPE NCC

    The RIPE NCC may decide to close an LIR that stops paying its bills to the RIPE NCC and/or cannot be contacted by the RIPE NCC for a significant period of time. Moreover, if an LIR consistently violates the policies established by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) or the RIPE community, in spite of multiple warnings, it may be closed.

    If the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement is terminated in the course of the RIPE NCC financial year, the service fee for this Member must be paid for the full year. The payment is the responsibility of the receiving Member.

    If the receiving organisation decides to sign the RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement, then a sign-up fee must be paid (see RIPE NCC Charging Scheme Link: http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/ripe-499 ).

    3.4 Internet Number Resource Registration and RIPE Database Issues

    The RIPE NCC will review the status of any IP address allocation or independent Internet Number Resource assignment maintained by the organisations involved, in compliance with the RIPE Policies current at the time of the transfer.

    The receiving Member must deregister from the RIPE Database any invalid or overlapping registrations or unused assignment approvals.

    The RIPE NCC will update the registry, including all RIPE Database objects maintained by the RIPE NCC that are related to this transfer. The transferring Member must update all RIPE Database objects maintained by them that are related to this transfer.

    4.0 The Member Changes its Official Legal Name

    It is the obligation of the Member to inform the RIPE NCC immediately if any change in the Member's official legal name occurs.

    The Member must send an email to ncc [at] ripe [dot] net Link: mailto:ncc@ripe.net informing the RIPE NCC of the name change. This email must include:

    • New registration papers from the national authority; and
    • The official legal documents supporting this change

    The RIPE NCC will send the LIR a message to notify it of its closure. The LIR must then provide documentation to the RIPE NCC regarding its allocated address space and follow the other procedures for closing an LIR as stated in section 3.0.

    If the LIR does not provide the RIPE NCC with the proper Documentation, the RIPE NCC will determine which address space should be returned to the public pool of IP address space.

    a new RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement Link: http://www.ripe.net/ripe/docs/service-agreement for the Member to sign under the new official legal name. When the RIPE NCC receives the new RIPE NCC Standard Service Agreement properly signed by the Member, it will update the registry, including all RIPE Database objects maintained by the RIPE NCC that are related to this change. The Member must update all RIPE Database objects maintained by them that are related to this change.