A position on access, records and responsibility
A fairer internet begins with accountable access.
IPv4 scarcity changed how networks obtain a finite resource. This paper separates the registry system's documented facts from LARUS's view of what fair, dependable stewardship should require.
For network operators, Internet number resource holders, policy participants and organisations planning long-term IPv4 operations.
How the system works
One global resource, coordinated in layers
Global coordination
IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses. IANA coordinates the global address space and allocates address pools to the Regional Internet Registries.
Regional stewardship
Five RIRs manage, distribute and register Internet number resources in their service regions under community-developed policies.
Operational use
Network operators use registered number resources to identify systems and route traffic across the public Internet.
Shared governance
Access depends on rules and reliable records
The registry system is both technical infrastructure and a chain of responsibility.
IANA maintains top-level coordination, while RIR communities develop regional policies and the registries maintain the records used to administer resources. Clear rules and accurate records help every participant understand who is responsible at each layer.
Institutional record
Registration is not the same as property
Minutes of the NRO Executive Council meeting on 19 October 2021 record its legal team's accepted position: IP addresses are not property; the relevant right is registration with exclusive rights to use and transfer, based on and subject to the holder's contract with the relevant RIR. The minutes also note that registration rights may be subject to legal measures within those contractual limits.
This is a careful summary of the cited NRO record, not legal advice. The treatment of a registration right can depend on the applicable contract, policy and jurisdiction.
Our position
Fairness needs clear accountability
LARUS begins from the view that the Internet can connect people and ideas across borders and differences of origin. That possibility is not automatic; it depends on how shared infrastructure is governed.
LARUS believes fair access is not created by scarcity alone or by a market alone. It depends on rules and operating practices that participants can understand, examine and rely on.
Explain access decisions
Eligibility, process and constraints should be stated plainly enough for participants to understand how a decision is made.
Protect record integrity
Registration data should remain dependable because routing, operations and accountability rely on knowing who is responsible for a resource.
Make responsibility visible
Every organisation in the chain should be clear about the duties it accepts and the boundaries of its authority.
This position does not replace regional policy or promise an outcome. It describes the standard LARUS believes responsible IPv4 stewardship should work toward.
Evidence record
Primary sources
The institutional facts on this page are anchored to these official IANA and NRO records.
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