The same should apply to already given out PI space, though I do understand the problem of contacting owners of some ancient PI registrations - but maybe some legal advocate could point out whether the requirement to have your RIPE db data up to date could be used as a basis to reclaim IP space from people that can't be contacted and whose space isn't in the global routing tables ...
Just for the record (and to show that the Board/RIPE NCC isn't asleep on the job) we are taking legal advice on the best way to go about framing the contact/contract with existing PI address holders if/when 2007-01 reaches consensus. If the legal advice is that there is no realistic way to do this, then we will of course report back to the apwg. I have to record, from a personal point of view that I feel very nervous about going back to existing PI holders and asking them to sign a contract. Whilst accepting all the arguments that this is a good thing, and allows us to garbage collect dead space, I can still see troubles ahead. However, man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward.... we will plan as best we can. Nigel