APNIC recognizes there will be situations where IPv4 resources may be transferred between:
Buying APNIC IPv4 address space include transfer between LIRs. All transfers of IPv4 address space are accurately reflected in the APNIC Whois Database. This ensures the integrity of the network and an accurate description of the current state of address distribution.
Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) are established under the authority of IANA to serve and represent large geographical regions. Their primary role is to manage, distribute, and register public Internet address space within their respective regions. Currently, there are five RIRs: AfriNIC, APNIC, ARIN, LACNIC, and the RIPE NCC.
A Local Internet Registry (LIR) is generally an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and may assign address space to its own network infrastructure and to users of its network services. LIR customers may be other "downstream" ISPs, which further assigns address space to their own customers.
The source in a resource transfer is the organization which, prior to the transfer, is the legitimate holder of the resources to be transferred. Where the source is in the APNIC region, the source must be a current APNIC account holder. Where the source is from another RIR region, it must be that RIR's equivalent to the "source" as defined here.
The recipient in a resource transfer is the organization which, after the transfer is completed, will be the legitimate holder of the resources to be transferred. Where the recipient is in the APNIC region, the recipient must be a current APNIC account holder. Where the recipient is from another RIR region, it must be that RIR's equivalent to the "recipient" as defined here.
Current resources are Internet resources registered by APNIC under explicit policies and agreements. Resources include public IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses, and Autonomous System numbers.