[ NNSquad ] ars technica: The case for a free market in IPv4 addresses

[Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>]

ars technica: The case for a free market in IPv4 addresses

http://j.mp/qJEO8R  (ars technica)

    "The Nortel sale nominally occurred under the auspices of ARIN, but as
     Milton Mueller points out, ARIN seems to have signed on at the last
     minute as a face-saving measure. The parties to the transaction don't
     appear to have undergone the vetting process required by ARIN's
     specified transfer policy, and there's no evidence that ARIN conducted
     an assessment of whether Microsoft "needed" the addresses.
     Indeed, the sale makes clear that, despite ARIN's protests to the
     contrary, IP address assignments are de facto property rights. ARIN's
     website states that ARIN "will not reclaim unutilized address space
     from legacy holders who sign this RSA, nor will ARIN attempt to take
     away legacy resources from organizations who choose not to sign it."
     In other words, legacy address holders (e.g. those who got IP address
     assignments under the pre-ICANN system) are entitled to keep their IP
     addresses for as long as they want. And the Nortel transaction
     suggests they're free to transfer them to whomever they choose,
     regardless of a needs assessment by ARIN. That sounds a lot like
     property rights."

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--Lauren--
NNSquad Moderator