Patagonia is a region in Argentina and .Patagonia is a gTLD application with ICANN.
Olga Cavalli is a respectable ICANN member and recently presented a statement of objection to ICANN, with regards to the application for the .Patagonia gTLD, made by a private company, Patagonia Inc., that also owns Patagonia.com.
This is an example of the serious implications regarding gTLDs, corporate names and trademarks that ICANN will be facing for the next several years.
The statement by Olga Cavalli follows:
My name is Olga Cavalli.
I am a citizen of Argentina and I am the representative of my country in the Govermental Advisor Committee of ICANN.
Patagonia is a region of Argentina that comprises the provinces of the south of my country.
Patagonia is a vast and beautiful region, that comprises several provinces, it is well known by the beauty of its landscapes, it is a relevant region for our economy because it has oil, fishing, mining and agriculture resources. It is also a region with a vibrant local community.
In the name of my country I am here to tell you that Argentina does not accept the .patagonia request for a brand TLD, as it is shown in the list of New gTLD Applied for Stings.
The ICANN Board must ensure that the pannel judging new gTLDs application considers as a relevant the community meaning of requested TLDs, above any brand interest.
ICANN Board should consider that this case of .patagonia must not become a precedent for other brand TLDs capturing names of regions of countries in next rounds of new gTLD applications.
