[arin-ppml] 2008-6: Emergency Transfer Policy for IPv4 Addresses

[Robert Bonomi]

> Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:14:34 -0500
> From: "Kevin Kargel" <kkargel at polartel.com>
> Subject: Re: [arin-ppml] 2008-6: Emergency Transfer Policy for IPv4 Addresses
>
>  
> YES!  People really are so worried about introducing money to the
> transaction.
>
> I do not want to end up going to eBay for address space.

What you want, and what you can have, are not necessarily the same thing.
<wry grin>

The buying and selling of IP address blocks has been going on for around
two decades, that _I_ know of.

Back then, such transactions were relatively infrequent, and involved fairly
large block of space.

The _only_ "unresolved" question today, is whether or not the RIRs are going
to be 'in the loop' for those transactions, *when* they occur.

If the RIRs _are_ in the loop, then the address-block assignment records that
the RIRs maintain will be "mostly" accurate, and the world at large will be
able to  tell "who" is using, and responsible for, activity from a particular
address-block.

If the RIRs are *NOT* in the loop, then what happens is that the RIR database
loses touch with reality.  "Name A" is on the books, but the address block
is actually being used by "Name B", "Name C", "Name D", and "Name G".  For
whom there is _no_ information whatsoever in the database.  Good luck 
contacting them when _you_ have a problem.

Things are _going_ to happen.   The question is whether there will be a
semblance of control, or not.