Re-Conceptualising the Country Code Top Level Domain Name as a Sui Generis Intellectual Property Right

This chapter considers whether country code top level domain names (ccTLDs) are an emerging area of sui generis intellectual property. Categorising ccTLDs as sui generis intellectual property would facilitate their removal from oversight by ICANN and provide the opportunity for international inter-state negotiations and agreement concerning acceptable minimum standards of governance and protection. Such a categorisation would also serve as an acknowledgement of the importance of the ccTLD to the economy and reputation of states, encouraging them to provide an appropriate legal environment for the use of their ccTLD, taking into account the interests of their commercial entities and their consumers