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There is a pretty high-level of guarantee that we can have continued possession of a chosen domain name as long as we renew it from our registrar (and provided that our registrar is not corrupted/incompetent).

For example, if we purchase a domain name my-domain-name.com and pay our annual renewal fees on time, it's unlikely that we will lose ownership of the domain name in the future.

Is there such a guarantee for continued possession of IP addresses?

For example, someone has publicly stated that the specific IP addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 belongs to him. Then, what are the necessary steps he must take to ensure that these addresses continue to belong to him in the future?

How much "guarantee" does future IP address ownership has?

Hennes
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Pacerier
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2 Answers2

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How much "guarantee" does future IP address ownership have?

What are these strict rules which governs the process?

What are the necessary steps he must take to ensure that these addresses continue to belong to him in the future?**

Using ARIN as an example:

8. Transfers

It should be understood that number resources are not 'sold' under ARIN administration. Rather, number resources are assigned to an organization for its exclusive use for the purpose stated in the request, provided the terms of the Registration Services Agreement continue to be met and the stated purpose for the number resources remains the same. Number resources are administered and assigned according to ARIN's published policies.

So the holder has to meet the terms of the Registration Services Agreement.

The ARIN Registration Services Agreement can be seen https://www.arin.net/resources/agreements/rsa.pdf:

Subject to Holder’s on going compliance with its obligations under the Service Terms, including, without limitation, the payment of the fees (as set forth in Section 4), ARIN shall (i) provide the Services to Holder in accordance with the Service Terms and (ii) grant to Holder the following specified rights:

  • (1) The exclusive right to be the registrant of the Included Number Resources within the ARIN database;
  • (2) The right to use the Included Number Resources within the ARIN database; and
  • (3) The right to transfer the registration of the Included Number Resources pursuant to the Policies.

It also says:

  1. NO PROPERTY RIGHTS Holder acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the number resources are not property (real, personal, or intellectual) of Holder; (b) Holder does not and will not have or acquire any property rights in or to any number resources for any reason, including but not limited to, by virtue of this Agreement or the prior issuance of any number resources to it or any access or use thereof by Holder; (c) Holder will not attempt, directly or indirectly, to obtain or assert any patent, trademark, service mark, copyright, or any other form of intellectual, propr ietary, or property rights in any number resources in the United States or any other country; and (d) Holder will transfer or receive number resources in accordance with the Policies.

You can read the rest of the Agreement for all the fine details...

There is also a Registration Services Agreement (RSA) FAQ.

Community
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DavidPostill
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Contrary to domain names, this is not a very clear situation, even if it represents de facto permanent ownership. An interesting read here: "Property Rights in IPv4 Numbers: Recognizing a New Form of Intellectual Property"

Ryakna
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