The “GAC agreed in Durban to set a firm deadline for providing a potential safeguard advice regarding .wine and .vin. and in a letter to ICANN today, the Governmental Advisory Counsel, (GAC) advised the ICANN Board that the GAC has finalized its consideration of the strings .wine and .vin and “further advises that the applications should proceed through the normal evaluation process”

The letter signed by Heather Dryden Chair of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) goes on to say:

“While there is no GAC consensus advice on specific safeguards, it deserves to be noted that the crux of the matter relates to the handling of geographical indications, for which there is a range of views among the GAC membership. ”

“Some members support referencing geographical indications while others are opposed. ”

“There is no international agreement among governments about how to treat geographical indications and, as a consequence, no basis for an agreement in the GAC on safeguards that would offer additional protections.”

“The GAC or its members may communicate further details to the Board as to the nature of the differences in views.”