.berlin
| Status: | Proposed |
| country: | Germany, International |
| Type: | GeoTLD |
.berlin is a proposed GeoTLD in ICANN's new gTLD program. The proposal was one of the first and most prominent gTLDs, specifically GeoTLDs, that began circulating as a possibility in the early-mid 2000s as a possibility should ICANN decide to expand the root zone with new gTLDs.
With these discussion happening in ICANN, Dirk Krischenowski and Alexander Schubert founded DotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG in 2005; at that time ICANN's new gTLD application process was expected to begin in 2009.[1] This process took longer to develop and was finally approved in June, 2011. Because of this delay, and the fact that dotBERLIN was prepared for a 2009 launch, they have been asking for special consideration from ICANN in the delegation process. The fact is that despite dotBERLIN's efforts and plans, ICANN could always award the proposed .berlin extension to another company. Thus, DotBERLIN has asked that "One extra point in the Community Priority Evaluation should be given if the organization behind an applicantion was already established before the approval of the new gTLDs program by the ICANN Board on 26 June, 2008, or before the first communicated application window in March, 2009."[2]
The reason they are asking for such special consideration could be due to the fact that specific threats to their proposal have appeared. That is, Minds + Machines has launched a Unite Berlin initiative, which is itself lobbying for the .berlin name space, some 6 years after dotBERLIN had already declared its intentions.[3]