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New Policy - 2023-03 v2: Voluntary Transfer Lock

How to read this draft document:

This document relates to RIPE policy proposal 2023-03 “Voluntary Transfer Lock”. If approved, it will be published as a new RIPE Document.

Policy text

Abstract

This document defines the guiding policy for the RIPE NCC to offer a Voluntary Transfer Lock to resource holders. It applies to all transferable resource types (IPv4, IPv6 and ASN) registered with the RIPE NCC. It explicitly does not apply to sub-allocations and assignments made by LIRs. It also does not apply to legacy resources.

The transfer lock option provided by this policy is completely voluntary and will not affect resources where a lock has not been explicitly requested by its resource holder.

Goal

This policy allows any resource holder whose resources are registered with the RIPE NCC to inform them which of these resources must not be transferred for a certain amount of time. The RIPE NCC will then respect the resource holder’s wishes and prevent those resources from being transferred, despite any requests to the opposite, during the time of the lock.

Scope

This policy only defines the constraints on the implementation of a Voluntary Transfer Lock. It explicitly does not prescribe a specific implementation by RIPE NCC. When requesting a Voluntary Transfer Lock, the procedural documentation published by the RIPE NCC is leading. These procedures must comply with the constraints set by this policy.

All the Constraints defined below must be followed during the implementation of the policy by the RIPE NCC. All Recommendations should be followed unless there is a strong reason to deviate from them. The Implementation choices explicitly give the RIPE NCC leeway. The RIPE NCC may implement them if they so choose, provided that the choices are explicitly documented.

Constraints

  • RIPE NCC must offer all its resource holders the option to temporarily lock their resources from transfer.
  • The operational procedures to request a lock must be made publicly available.
  • All transferable resource types (IPv4, IPv6 and ASN) registered with the RIPE NCC are lockable.
  • Resource holders must only be able to lock their own resources.
  • It must be possible for a resource holder to only lock certain resources.
  • Only a whole allocation or assignment can be locked, not a part of it.
  • The resource holder must explicitly state which resources to lock.
  • Resource transfer requests received during the duration of the lock will not be processed by the RIPE NCC.
  • A Voluntary Transfer Lock is an agreement between a resource holder and the RIPE NCC.
  • The lock’s start and end date must be explicitly agreed between the RIPE NCC and the holder.
  • From the start date onward, locked resources are irrevocably locked until the end date. Resource holders must explicitly acknowledge their understanding of this fact.

Recommendations

  • At least 1 month before the lock expires, the RIPE NCC should notify the resource holder with the option to extend it or enter into a new locking agreement.
  • The RIPE NCC should offer lock durations of 6, 12 and 24 months.
  • Locks expire automatically if an extension is not explicitely requested.
  • The RIPE NCC should publish all active locks on its website.

Implementation choices

  • The RIPE NCC may offer additional lock durations in addition to the ones mentioned above.
  • The RIPE NCC may be unable to enforce the lock in certain situations such as mergers and acquisitions or due to restrictions from any applicable laws or regulations. These situations may have practical and/or legal reasons, although the RIPE NCC should keep the number of exceptions as small as possible.
  • All such exceptional situations must be clearly defined in the RIPE NCC procedure referenced in the locking agreement.
  • In cases where a resource is involved in conflicting situations, the RIPE NCC will act in accordance with existing policies and procedures.