.bayern
| Status: | Proposed |
| country: | Bavaria (regional) |
| Manager: | dotBayern e.V. Bayern Connect |
| Type: | GeoTLD |
| Community: | Unknown if Community App |
.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]
It seems there may be more than one applicant for .bayern. One entity, Bayern Connect, is backed by the state government and has already announced that they are partnering with Minds + Machines to apply for the extension and run the possible registry. Minds + Machines' parent company, Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd., also has a majority holding of Bayern Connect.,ref>Minds + Machines works with .bayern, CircleID.com</ref> It has been noted that Bayern Connect is one of the world's first states that is applying for its own TLD, and the first to announce an official technical partnership to create that extension.[2]