GIview: the EUIPO database for geographical indications

The EUIPO has launched GIview, a database of geographical indications recognised and protected in the European Union. Beyond consolidating EU-level registrations, the tool's main practical interest lies in verifying the status of geographical indications in third countries under bilateral treaties and agreements. The article illustrates this with three examples drawn from the database: Fontina, the Italian cheese, registered in Japan under its transliteration pursuant to the EU-Japan agreement of 20 December 2018; Parma Ham, protected in Canada under the EU-Canada agreement of 30 October 2016; and Cognac, protected in Singapore under a bilateral agreement of 19 October 2018. GIview thus enables producers, right holders and their advisers to check quickly whether, and on what legal basis, a European geographical indication enjoys protection outside the European Union, supporting enforcement and brand-protection strategies in the sector.

Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products

Adopted on 18 October 2023 and published in the Official Journal on 27 October, Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 creates the first EU-wide framework for protecting geographical indications for craft and industrial products. The article presents the new regime: eligibility criteria requiring a demonstrable link between the product and its geographical area together with specific quality attributes, a registration procedure, and a dedicated register bringing transparency for producers and consumers alike. It situates the reform in a global perspective — drawing a parallel with India's GI system, which has protected traditional fabrics such as Pochampalli Ikat and Chanderi sarees since 2005-2006 — and in an economic one, the GI market being valued at some €77 billion. It closes on enforcement: like trademarks, craft and industrial GIs will face counterfeiting across marketplaces, social media and domain names, and their managing bodies will need genuine online protection strategies.

10 November 2023
Initially published on iptwins.com

Geographical indications cybersquatting: the Gorgonzola case

The Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Gorgonzola's fight against cybersquatting makes an instructive scoreboard: two initial defeats over gorgonzola.city (WIPO D2017-0253) and gorgonzola.club (D2017-0554), then a victory over gorgonzola.blue (D2021-0722, 30 May 2021). The article uses this trilogy to expose the structural difficulties geographical indications face in UDRP proceedings. Some panels, it argues, show real naivety towards cybersquatters' good-faith narratives, and unduly territorialise the mechanism — as if a PDO's reputation stopped at the borders of its home region, when the product's fame often far exceeds that of the place itself. Yet the gorgonzola.blue win shows that careful factual analysis can pierce dubious claims. Pending a reform giving GIs explicit status in the UDRP, the article calls for vigilance from GI consortia and from panelists alike.

11 June 2021
Initially published on iptwins.com

DNS Abuse: How Can Domain Names Linked to the Same Actor Be Connected?

On 18 August 2026, ICANN published for public comment the Initial Report of its DNS Abuse Mitigation Policy Development Process (PDP 1). Among its proposals are Associated Domain Checks: when a registrar acts on an abuse report, it should also examine the other domain names held by the same customer. In its comments of 25 September 2026, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center supports the approach but points out its main limitation: the checks stop at the edge of a single registrar's portfolio. Bad actors know this and spread their registrations across several registrars, which hampers consolidated UDRP proceedings. WIPO suggests exploring cross-registrar mechanisms without saying which data could link the names. The article argues that payment data, pseudonymised, could serve as that common denominator, while acknowledging its limits (prepaid cards, fraud, multiple payment methods): an indicator rather than proof. It marks a shift from a one-domain, one-investigation logic to a network approach.

28 September 2026
Initially published on iptwins.com

DNS and Web3: How Can We Avoid Importing Cryptosquatting into the DNS?

The DNS and blockchain-based alternative naming systems are converging, with projects such as .BLOCKCHAIN and the .ROBOT cryptoTLD seeking to operate the same string in both worlds. In August 2026, ICANN's Technical Study Group released an Initial Report on integrating gTLDs with alternative naming systems, built on a "string + controller" principle: the same name must remain under the same control across systems, with its status kept in sync. In September 2026, the SSAC supported this synchronisation but noted that applying the UDRP and the URS becomes difficult when a registrant exists only in an alternative system, without conventional registration data. The WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center warns that cybersquatting is already widespread in these systems: mapping names automatically into the DNS would import existing infringements. Trademark owners therefore need functionally equivalent protection mechanisms, including a way to prevent infringing names from being activated, as initiatives like Unstoppable Domains joining GlobalBlock have begun to show.

24 September 2026
Initially published on iptwins.com

Article Information

Author

Emmanuel Gillet

Publication Date

2 December 2020

Jurisdiction

Industry

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