* davids@webmaster.com (David Schwartz) [Fri 08 Sep 2006, 21:20 CEST]:
Even if you assume that allocations made by ARIN are not property, it's hard to argue that pre-ARIN allocations are not. They're not subject to revocation and their grant wasn't conditioned on compliance with policies.
Some people here are on crack. Comparing IP addresses to mining rights? They're just numbers, not actual physical property. Do you also propose to take allocations away again when they're not announced on the Internet? Address space policy has always been the result of a community consensus. Just because that consensus has shifted over the years does not mean that older entries in some database have suddenly developed into property. All it means is that the community is very friendly for not applying the new rules retroactively. -- Niels.