Re: DoD IP Space

[John Curran <jcurran () arin net>]

On 25 Apr 2021, at 4:59 PM, Sabri Berisha <sabri () cluecentral net<mailto:sabri () cluecentral net>> wrote:

----- On Apr 25, 2021, at 2:24 AM, Bill Woodcock woody () pch net<mailto:woody () pch net> wrote:

Hi,

I think I’d characterize it, rather, as a possible privatization of public
property.

This comment sparked my curiosity. Does ARIN consider IP space to be property?

One could argue both ways:

1. Whomever "owns" a netblock simply owns the right to use and advertise it as long
as it's being used for the purposes under which it was assigned by a number registry.
This would be similar to "apartment rights" in a condominium complex.

OR;

2. IP space comes with property rights such as selling and leasing as one wishes. But,
that would also imply that IP space can be stolen.

I'd be curious to hear what ARIN's position is on this.

Sabri -

ARIN’s position can be clearly found in section 2 of the Registration Services Agreement 
<https://www.arin.net/about/corporate/agreements/rsa.pdf> -

– When parties are issued IP address blocks, they are given a limited bundle of contractual rights to an entry in the 
registry database.
– These rights include the exclusive right to be associated with a specific entry, the exclusive right to administer 
that entry in the ARIN registry database, and exclusive right of transfer this bundle of rights in accordance with 
adopted policy.

Two things:  a) None of this pertains to a right to announce or route an IP address block – ISPs each control their own 
routing and often care about who holds rights to a block in the registry, but that does not equate to issuing a “right 
to route.”   b) You’ll probably want to discuss with legal counsel for more specifics of the nuances between 
contractual rights versus property rights, particularly when if comes to intangible rights, enforceability against 
specific parties versus the world, etc.

Thanks!
/John

John Curran
President and CEO
American Registry for Internet Numbers