The chapter, titled, “”Domain Name Protection for Geographical Indications: A European Gamechanger” has been published in the just released book, “Worldwide Perspectives on Geographical Indications” by Springer. This open access book is a collection of selected contributions from participants in a conference that took place in July 2022 in Montpellier, France, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) in collaboration with the Swiss Intellectual Property Institute and oriGIn (Organization for an International GI Network). Latha was also a participant and speaker at the said conference which brought together more than 200 participants involved with GIs such as policy makers, academics, practitioners, and producers from 47 countries.  

The chapter contributed by Latha discusses the issue of discriminatory treatment meted out to GIs rights as a basis for cancellation of domain names in ICANN’s Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy and examines the provisions incorporated in two recent EU Regulations [2024/1143 and 2023/2411] dealing with GI protection that addresses this issue in a fresh manner.  Describing the problematic part of the ICANN policy as outdated and irrelevant in a world where GIs are an emerged IP right, Latha argues that these European laws are a game changer in the context of this lingering issue. She urges Asian and African countries to adopt similar laws for domain name protection to address the gap, especially considering that trade is increasingly getting digital and GIs are becoming an integral part of their IP systems.

For those interested in GIs and global developments, the book is rich treat covering multiple aspects and nuances.