[members-discuss] Executive Board Resolution on Legacy Internet Resource Holders

Radu-Adrian Feurdean <ripe-ncc at radu-adrian.feurdean.net> writes:

> Why exactly wasn't IP space considered as a RTU (right to use) ? It
> seems that ARIN's position goes in that direction.
> That would make legacy space quite similar to non-legacy one.

Here is a fairly authoritative explanation, at least for the Network
Solutions period (pre-ARIN) in the Americas:

http://www.internetgovernance.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/NSF_GC_Letter_RE_ARIN.pdf

    1. The NSF general counsel seems to think IP addresses are intellectual
       property, which is a bit weird, but definitely in the context of
       the Internet those 32-bit numbers are `things of value'.
    2. Under the Cooperative Agreement the NSF gave a thing of value to
       Netsol who then gave it to whomever they gave it to.
    3. The NSF never had any agreement with ARIN (or RIPE) so the RIRs
       have nothing to say about it.

These particular deck chairs are bolted down pretty tightly. All the
RIRs can do is ask politely and even then the only thing that it will
achieve is perhaps a few extra months. The time spent in this long email
thread is probably better spent on making sure you've got IPv6 working
properly everywhere.

-w

-- 
William Waites
Network Engineer
HUBS AS60241