Class "B" forsale (fwd)

Sun Mar 9 03:47:20 UTC 1997

On Sat, 8 Mar 1997, Pete Kruckenberg wrote:

> > One class "B" Internet address available to the highest bidder.
> > Please call 415-854-5263 and leave a message if interested.
> 
> I'm just a little curious. If the current policy (as stated by at least
> one Draft RFC) is that IP address space is not owned, how can someone sell
> a Class B? 

It's a black market thing.

> If they are selling it, that must mean that they don't actually
> need it, so therefore they are obligated to return it to InterNIC. On the
> other side, maybe InterNIC has an obligation to take it back.

Yep.

> What kinds of guarantees are there that if someone buys it, that they will
> actually be able to get and keep this Class B?

None. It is entirely possible that this will happen:

1. Someone will pay $50,000 cash to the seller

2. The seller will go through the motions of transferring the address
   block (which may or may not include some sort of changes to NIC
   records)

3. The NIC will refuse to change the records and/or the operators in the
   defaultless core will refuse to listen to the announcements for this 
   block.

4. The buyer will ask for their money back and the seller will refuse.

5. Upon consulting a lawyer the buyer will find that they have no
   enforcable contract. Especially so if the seller no longer controls
   the block because the NIC has taken it back.

Black markets aren't quite the same as dealing in illegal drugs but 
they are in a similarly shady neighborhood.

NOTE: I don't support the selling of IP addresses and I don't support
      the "ownership" of IP addresses. I believe that the the NIC's 
      are stewards of a public resource and that IP addresses should
      be allocated on the basis of demonstrated need, not market forces.

Michael Dillon                   -               Internet & ISP Consulting
Memra Software Inc.              -                  Fax: +1-250-546-3049
http://www.memra.com             -               E-mail: michael at memra.com