<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"><html><head><meta content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></head><body ><div style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><p data-doc-type="writer" style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" data-doc-id="420923000000378001" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">Dear RIPE community,</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">The Supreme Court of Mauritius has ruled in favour of Cloud Innovation against AFRINIC's numerous attempts to block access to justice.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">Specifically the Judge ruled that Cloud Innovation was</span><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;"> "not vaxacious" and agreed that Cloud Innovation has every right to protect it's legal position by seeking injunctions against AFRINIC's attempt to block our case. </span><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">The Judge has ruled that Cloud Innovation's case against AFRINIC may proceed to trial.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">In light of this judgement, Cloud Innovation have issued a press release which can be find at link below together with the judgement. I hope you will to read both to understand the importance of the consequences of the Judgement.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">Since the court has ruled that me and my company are not a vaxacious litigant, the accusation of me and my company being vaxacious as stated in the ill-advised NRO letter is considered to be potentially criminal defamation as per Mauritius law.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">I request that the authors of the RIPE NCC letter, plus those individuals that advised them to write such a letter,  to urgently reconsider their position publicly.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">And if, they ware mislead by someone to sign such letter, it's time to explain before future potential proceedings bought by </span><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); vertical-align: baseline;">Mauritius</span><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;"> judicatory system.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt;">The Judge ruled:</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"type":"text"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">"I do not agree that the applicant is, in respect of the application before me, being a vexatious litigant causing prejudice to the respondent. Although it is undeniable that there has been a history of cases lodged by the applicant during the past year, there have been various intervening factors throughout and it cannot be said that the issues which require determination in the present 17 case have already been settled by a court decision, or that to continue with the present proceedings would amount to an abuse of process. "</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Well in advance of this Judgement, I called on AFRINIC to enter into mediation.  My multiple requests were ignored.  Mediation could have ensured a private settlement on the issues without the need for a public Judgement. AFRINIC rejected my offer to mediate. Instead, </span><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">AFRINIC continued to waste a significant amount of member's resources on attempting to deny a legitimate dispute from being heard by an impartial Judge.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">I am always open to mediation and my door remains open to AFRINIC to discuss and resolve our issues.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">AFRINIC's attempt to deny access to justice opens up some very serious questions about the behaviour, motivation and judgement of the leadership of AFRINIC that the RIPE community now need to consider carefully.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Whilst I am obviously pleased with the Judgement, I take no pleasure in saying that the Judgement shows we should never have even put in this position by AFRINIC and laterally by other individuals potentially in RIPE NCC as well.  Their behaviour has caused me and my company significant reputational and financial damage.  </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">There is now an understanding in the RIPE community that AFRINIC actions and attitude has also been damaging to themselves and our wider community.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Separate to the potential forthcoming legal cases brought by eight different claimants, real change has to be seen to be made now in ARFINIC to ensure that the organisation is fit for purpose and serves the interests of global internet community and not just a few individuals at the top.</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left;" class="zw-paragraph" data-line-height="1.2" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left; direction: ltr;" data-line-height="1.2" data-hd-info="0" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}" class="zw-paragraph heading0" data-header="0"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">I urge the community to read both the press release and the judgement to have a better understanding of the situation:</span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left; direction: ltr;" data-line-height="1.2" data-hd-info="0" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}" class="zw-paragraph heading0" data-header="0"><span class="EOP"> </span><br></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 0pt; line-height: 1.2; text-align: left; direction: ltr;" data-line-height="1.2" data-hd-info="0" data-margin-bottom="0pt" data-textformat="{"ff":"Roboto","fv":"normal","td":"none","cs":"0pt","fw":"none","fgc":"rgb(0, 0, 0)","size":"12.00","va":"baseline","fw_i":400,"type":"text","fs":"none","bgc":"rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)"}" class="zw-paragraph heading0" data-header="0"><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinnovation.org/press-release5.html">https://cloudinnovation.org/press-release5.html</a></span><br></p><div><span style="font-family: Roboto; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; letter-spacing: 0pt; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: normal; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><a target="_blank" href="https://cloudinnovation.org/attachmentlist/cloud-innovation-ltd-v-african-network-i.pdf">https://cloudinnovation.org/attachmentlist/cloud-innovation-ltd-v-african-network-i.pdf</a></span><br></div><div><br></div><div class="zmail_signature_below"><div id="" data-zbluepencil-ignore="true" data-sigid="4902573000000022003">Kind regards<br></div><div id="" data-zbluepencil-ignore="true" data-sigid="4902573000000022003"><br></div><div id="" data-zbluepencil-ignore="true" data-sigid="4902573000000022003">Lu</div></div><div><br></div></div><br></body></html>