[address-policy-wg] 2007-08 New Policy Proposal (Enabling Methods for Reallocation of IPv4 Resources)

>     http://www.ripe.net/ripe/policies/proposals/2007-08.html

In effect, this proposal enables a market for buying and
selling IP address blocks.

RIPE is a member of the NRO. According to the NRO factsheet:
http://www.nro.net/docs/nro-factsheet/nro_technical-sheet.pdf

   IP addresses are not owned as property.
   ... When a consumer no longer requires the use of the IP
   address space, it is returned to the LIR or ISP.

It would be very hypocritical if RIPE allowed LIRs to treat
address blocks as property between themselves while at the same
time forbidding their customers to treat address blocks as
property. I wonder if this would be considered a cartel under
the EU treaties since the discussions within RIPE are practically
invisible to the companies who are customers of LIRs.

Do we really want RIPE to move towards pirate capitalism
while North America explicitly outlaws such transfers?
http://www.arin.net/policy/nrpm.html#eight

--Michael Dillon

P.S. What is a cartel?
It is an illegal secret agreement concluded between competitors who in
coordination fix or increase their prices, restrict supply by limiting
their sales or their production capacities, and/or divide up their
markets or consumers.

(quoted from
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/competition/cartels/overview/index_en.cfm )