.bayern
| Status: | Proposed |
| country: | Bavaria |
| Manager: | Bayern Connect |
| Type: | GeoTLD |
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.bayern is a proposed new GeoTLD in ICANN's new gTLD program, "bayern" is the German word for "Bavaria", and thus would be a top level signifier for people and companies who wish associate themselves with that region of Germany. Bayern is the largest German state by area and the second most populous.[1]
At one point, there were two entities vying for support of their .bayern proposals: Bayern Connect and dotBayern. The former recieved government support and was thus able to apply for the TLD with ICANN. Minds + Machines was selected to run the registry, and its parent company Top Level Domain Holdings is the majority owner of Bayern Connect. It was one of the first companies to announce a state-centric TLD bid. [2][3]