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

I guess there is no limit to how far people will go to game the system. 

Since there are about 14,000 LIRs out there that have very little clue
about RIPE history and can get the wrong impression about legacy IP
address holders, I'd like to  speak as a Legacy LIR and one who has paid
RIPE membership fees since 1995 (actually the first paying member - see
attached):

Looking back at the minutes of the meetings from 1994+1995:
https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/gm/meetings/1994/minutes-from-ripe-ncc-gm-1994
https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/gm/meetings/1995
one can see organizations like Aconet (Austria), Cesnet (Czech
Republic), DFN (Germany), Heanet (Ireland), and over 20 more NRENs - all
of which have primarily legacy IP address space, were the founders of
RIPE and have paid and will continue to pay RIPE membership fees.  
Having Legacy IP address space does not mean you are automatically a
scum-bag.  Quite the opposite and Nigel's email just made be pissed off.

Acquiring small bits of legacy IP space to bypass LIR membership dues
and to then be entitled to get more IP address space goes totally
against the spirit of RIPE and I totally approve the Executive Board's
decision and would recommend even further sanctions against those that
have done it.

Regards,
Hank Nussbacher
IUCC


> Dear Colleagues,
>
> The Executive Board has instructed the RIPE NCC to temporarily restrict
> the ability of Legacy Internet Resource Holders to become RIPE NCC
> members or open LIR accounts in their capacity as Legacy Internet
> Resource Holders. This decision was taken at last week's Executive Board
> meeting in Amsterdam.
>
> Since the policy “RIPE NCC Services to Legacy Internet Resources” was
> implemented in 2014, the RIPE NCC has waived the EUR 2,000 sign-up fee
> for Legacy Internet Resource Holders who choose to enter into a
> contractual relationship with the RIPE NCC. It now seems that some
> entities have started obtaining very small blocks of legacy IPv4
> resources (in some cases as little as a /29) and using this to open an
> LIR account and obtain an IPv4 /22 allocation without having to pay the
> sign-up fee.
>
> The board feels that this is against the spirit in which this fee was
> waived and gives an unfair advantage to these entities. Removing this
> cost barrier could also result in faster depletion of the IPv4 pool that
> the RIPE community has reserved for newcomers. We will therefore be
> adding this to the agenda of the upcoming General Meeting (GM) that will
> take place on 26 October. We will also put forward a resolution for the
> membership to vote on to address this problem. As the board anticipates
> an increase in these kinds of requests ahead of the GM, we felt it was
> necessary to apply this temporary restriction until a proper solution
> can be applied.
>
> It is important to note that despite this temporary restriction, Legacy
> Internet Resource Holders may continue to register their resources:
> - By becoming a RIPE NCC member (without using their capacity as Legacy
> Internet Resource Holders to receive the sign-up fee waiver)
> - Under an existing LIR account
> - Through a sponsoring LIR
> - By entering into a direct agreement with the RIPE NCC
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