Re: BGP Security and PKI Hierarchies

[Michael.Dillon () btradianz com]

> > Do you suppose that if a Microsoft salesman had given me a free copy
> > of Windows back in 1990, I would have a right to use any version of
> > Windows for free forever?
>
> I don't think this analogy exactly fits.  I'm pretty sure that the 
legacy
> space holders think of this as: a Microsoft salesman had given them
> a free copy of  Windows back in 1990, and had returned many years later
> to say that MS had established a registry for all new recipients of
> Windows that charged a registration fee, and MS wanted them to start 
paying
> the fee for the free copy as well.

Regardless of what the legacy space users think, if the
RIRs decided to sign certificates for use in BGP route
for a small fee to recover costs, and if those legacy
space holders wish to make use of this new service (like
a new version of Windows) then they have to sign up and 
pay the fees. The fact that they once received a free 
service does not entitle them to receive *ALL* services
for free *FOREVER*.

Perhaps this discussion should move to http://www.groklaw.net
where people who understand how law works could comment on it.

In any case, the bottom line is that the existence of a few
legacy space users should not prevent us from leveraging the
RIRs to sign certificates, run route registries, run the 
in-addr.arpa domain etc.

--Michael Dillon