<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
</head>
<body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">
<div>RIPE Policy Folks - </div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I have no comments to make with regards to the merits </div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">of policy proposal 2012-01, but will comment for sake </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">of clarity on the use of the words "sell" and "sold" in </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">the proposal. In the policies in the ARIN region, we </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">have made use of the term "transfer" for this purpose, </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">although one can argue that "sell" and "sold" is equally </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">accurate.</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; "><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">The challenge with using the word "sell" is simply that</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">for many readers it carries the connotation of 'free and </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">clear' transfer of property to another. I do not know,</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">(nor intend to assert) what transfer of number resources</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">in the RIPE region means, but in the ARIN region we hold</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">that there are multiple parties with rights to each number </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">resource, and this includes the resource holder (who has </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">the right of exclusive use) but also includes the community </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">(who has the right of visibility into the public portion of </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">the registration, the right to set policies by which the </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">resource may be transferred or reclaimed, etc.)</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; "><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">We've had parties come to ARIN and indicate that they have</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">"bought" or "sold" their address blocks, and we have to </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">point out that they may indeed have sold their particular</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">rights to the address block, but that any transfer in our</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">region must comply with the community policies, and ask</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">that they put a transfer request (agreed to by the seller)</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">so that we may transfer the number resources to the new</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">registrant.</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; "><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">In short, using terms like "sell" and "sold" in the policy</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">text may create the impression for some readers that Internet</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">number resources are just widgets to be bought and sold as </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">desired, but that error is may be unavoidable in any case </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">given the circumstances. I do not believe that the use of </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">"sell" or "sold" is incorrect, but simply of question of </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">personal judgement as to whether the improved readability </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">is worth the connotations that some readers will draw as a</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">result.</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; "><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">FYI,</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">/John</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; "><br>
</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">John Curran</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">President and CEO</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; ">ARIN</div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; "> </div>
<div style="font-family: monospace; "><br>
</div>
</body>
</html>