Applications / .ber / DGCK2644T-T19936 · published by ICANN 7 October 2026 · snapshot 2026-10-08
.ber
StandardActivedotBerlin GmbH & Co. KG, DE Q1·Q25
Ultimately controlled by Dirk Krischenowski, Katrin Ohlmer, Katrin Ohlmer Q108 · ICANN record ↗
dotBerlin GmbH & Co. Co is an existing registry operator with a delegation date 2014-01-03.
§ 1 — Meaning of the string Q118·Q120
No English Translation
/biː iː ɑːɹ/
§ 2 — Mission and purpose Q133
Question 1 – Mission and purpose of the applied-for gTLD
The applied-for gTLD „.BER“ is intended to serve registrants and users who identify with the designation "BER" in its various legitimate meanings and established uses. "BER" is a term as well as a widely recognized three-letter acronym with multiple independent meanings across geography, transportation, science, technology, business, culture and as a well-known first and last name. Examples include the IATA airport code for Berlin Brandenburg Airport, scientific and technical terms such as Bit Error Rate, Base Excision Repair and Basic Encoding Rules, as well as numerous commercial and institutional uses. In Berlin, the term “ber” is used as a reference to Berlin as a location. With the gTLD “.BER” registrants will be able to register respective domain names.
The mission of „.BER“ is to provide a trusted, memorable and globally accessible namespace for organizations, businesses, institutions and individuals that use "ber" as part of their name, brand, abbreviation, project or service. Rather than serving a single sector, the gTLD is intended to support the broad range of legitimate current and future uses associated with the string.
The registry will operate „.BER“ as a stable and secure top-level domain in accordance with ICANN policies. Activities supporting this mission include maintaining reliable registry infrastructure, implementing appropriate registration and rights protection mechanisms, preventing abuse, supporting registrars and registrants, and promoting awareness of the namespace among relevant communities.
„Question 2 – Sustainability of the purpose over time“
The purpose of „.BER“ is sustainable because it is based on a term representing a first and last name as well as an well-established three-letter designation with numerous independent meanings rather than on a single organization, technology or market. Its broad recognition across multiple sectors provides a diverse and resilient potential registrant base.
The flexibility of the namespace allows it to support both existing and future legitimate uses of "ber" as organizations, technologies, brands and communities evolve. As abbreviations regularly acquire additional meanings, the relevance of the string is expected to remain dynamic over time.
Long-term sustainability will also be supported through reliable registry operations, compliance with ICANN requirements, sound financial management, and continued investment in security, resilience and customer support. Registration policies may evolve to reflect changing market needs and Internet best practices while preserving the core mission of providing a trusted namespace for legitimate users of the designation "ber".
Accordingly, „.BER“ is intended to remain a stable, secure and valuable Internet identifier serving a diverse global community of registrants and Internet users over the long term.
§ 3 — Commitments and safeguards Q164–Q188
| More trustworthy, consumer risk, regulated sector, government reporting, harm, government function Q164–Q169 | No to each |
|---|---|
| Voluntary Safeguard PICs Q170·Q171 | None · 90 applications in the round offer some |
| Registry Voluntary Commitments Q172·Q173 | None · 5 do |
| Code of Conduct exemption requested Q185·Q188 | No |
§ 4 — All other published answers
Every other answer ICANN published for this application, in the order of the form. Contact details (Q17–Q24) are left to the ICANN record.
Q199Q2.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO, and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. If financial statements are provided by a Qualified Parent Entity (QPE) of the applying entity, the CEO, President, CFO, and/or equivalent officer of the QPE must co-sign the certification document. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC2.2-1.1 - As of the submission date of the application, the applying entity is a current registry operator or an affiliated entity of a current registry operator with one or more active Registry Agreements (RA). SC2.2-1.2 - The applying entity and/or a QPE will fund the startup and long-term operation of all of the applying entity’s current gTLDs and applied-for gTLD strings. SC2.2-1.3 - The applying entity and/or its officers are bound by law in its jurisdiction to represent financial statements accurately and the applying entity is in good standing in that jurisdiction.
Q2.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO, and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. If financial statements are provided by a Qualified Parent Entity (QPE) of the applying entity, the CEO, President, CFO, and/or equivalent officer of the QPE must co-sign the certification document. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC2.2-1.1 - As of the submission date of the application, the applying entity is a current registry operator or an affiliated entity of a current registry operator with one or more active Registry Agreements (RA). SC2.2-1.2 - The applying entity and/or a QPE will fund the startup and long-term operation of all of the applying entity’s current gTLDs and applied-for gTLD strings. SC2.2-1.3 - The applying entity and/or its officers are bound by law in its jurisdiction to represent financial statements accurately and the applying entity is in good standing in that jurisdiction.
Answered with a document. Attachments are not published by ICANN.
Q200Q2.3-1 - Provide a document with a list of all of the applying entity’s current gTLDs and a list of all gTLDs for entities affiliated with the applying entity (if applicable).
Q2.3-1 - Provide a document with a list of all of the applying entity’s current gTLDs and a list of all gTLDs for entities affiliated with the applying entity (if applicable).
Answered with a document. Attachments are not published by ICANN.
Q220Q5.1-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.1-1.1 - The applying entity will appropriately protect confidentiality of data and prevent unauthorized access to data and services. SC5.1-1.2 - The applying entity will maintain a mature, appropriately funded and staffed security program, following a recognized, modern security framework based on risk management (such as the ISO27000 series, COBIT, HITRUST CSF, legally required security frameworks, or equivalent). The security program must be in place prior to delegation, and exist through at least the period of the registry agreement. SC5.1-1.3 - The applying entity is aware of and has designed its systems and business to comply with the relevant privacy and security regulations for all countries in which it operates.
Q5.1-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.1-1.1 - The applying entity will appropriately protect confidentiality of data and prevent unauthorized access to data and services. SC5.1-1.2 - The applying entity will maintain a mature, appropriately funded and staffed security program, following a recognized, modern security framework based on risk management (such as the ISO27000 series, COBIT, HITRUST CSF, legally required security frameworks, or equivalent). The security program must be in place prior to delegation, and exist through at least the period of the registry agreement. SC5.1-1.3 - The applying entity is aware of and has designed its systems and business to comply with the relevant privacy and security regulations for all countries in which it operates.
Answered with a document. Attachments are not published by ICANN.
Q221Q5.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.2-1.1 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the Top Level Domain (TLD), establish a dedicated abuse point of contact responsible for addressing matters requiring expedited attention and providing a timely response to abuse complaints concerning any name registered in the TLD. SC5.2-1.2 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the TLD, establish, publish, and provide to ICANN the location of a mechanism for members of the public to submit reports of abuse in accordance with the current obligations of the Base RA and any Consensus Policies. SC5.2-1.3 - The applying entity has developed proposed measures for removal of orphan glue records for names removed from the zone when provided with evidence in written form that the glue is present in connection with malicious conduct (see Specification 6). SC5.2-1.4 - The applying entity has or will have at time of delegation, established policies for handling complaints regarding abuse. Such policies are to be maintained and posted publicly so that anyone can review the policies via the Internet and any other means deemed appropriate by the applying entity. The applying entity’s policies at a minimum should contain appropriate confirmation of the receipt of the abuse report, the process of review of the report, and actions that will be taken if the applying entity confirms the report is legitimate. SC5.2-1.5 - The applying entity understands that DNS Abuse is Phishing, Malware, Botnets, Pharming and Spam (when used to deliver other forms of DNS Abuse). The applying entity understands and is prepared to contribute to the mitigation or disruption of DNS Abuse in domains in the TLD zone. SC5.2-1.6 - The applying entity’s abuse response capabilities are resourced appropriately to ensure a timely and adequate investigation and response to reports of DNS Abuse. This includes capabilities to receive and evaluate evidence of DNS Abuse in reports, and to take action to stop or disrupt the DNS Abuse. SC5.2-1.7 - The applying entity is prepared to conduct periodic scans of its zone to identify if domains are being used to perpetrate DNS Abuse, and to maintain statistical reports of the scans, the findings, and actions taken.
Q5.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.2-1.1 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the Top Level Domain (TLD), establish a dedicated abuse point of contact responsible for addressing matters requiring expedited attention and providing a timely response to abuse complaints concerning any name registered in the TLD. SC5.2-1.2 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the TLD, establish, publish, and provide to ICANN the location of a mechanism for members of the public to submit reports of abuse in accordance with the current obligations of the Base RA and any Consensus Policies. SC5.2-1.3 - The applying entity has developed proposed measures for removal of orphan glue records for names removed from the zone when provided with evidence in written form that the glue is present in connection with malicious conduct (see Specification 6). SC5.2-1.4 - The applying entity has or will have at time of delegation, established policies for handling complaints regarding abuse. Such policies are to be maintained and posted publicly so that anyone can review the policies via the Internet and any other means deemed appropriate by the applying entity. The applying entity’s policies at a minimum should contain appropriate confirmation of the receipt of the abuse report, the process of review of the report, and actions that will be taken if the applying entity confirms the report is legitimate. SC5.2-1.5 - The applying entity understands that DNS Abuse is Phishing, Malware, Botnets, Pharming and Spam (when used to deliver other forms of DNS Abuse). The applying entity understands and is prepared to contribute to the mitigation or disruption of DNS Abuse in domains in the TLD zone. SC5.2-1.6 - The applying entity’s abuse response capabilities are resourced appropriately to ensure a timely and adequate investigation and response to reports of DNS Abuse. This includes capabilities to receive and evaluate evidence of DNS Abuse in reports, and to take action to stop or disrupt the DNS Abuse. SC5.2-1.7 - The applying entity is prepared to conduct periodic scans of its zone to identify if domains are being used to perpetrate DNS Abuse, and to maintain statistical reports of the scans, the findings, and actions taken.
Answered with a document. Attachments are not published by ICANN.
Q119Script of String
Script of String
Latin
Q121As per Section 3(d) of Specification 11 of the Base Registry Agreement, a registry operator of a “generic string” may not impose eligibility criteria for registering names in the TLD that limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity and/or that person’s or entity’s “Affiliates” (as defined in Section 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement). “Generic String” means a string consisting of a word or term that denominates or describes a general class of goods, services, groups, organizations or things, as opposed to distinguishing a specific brand of goods, services, groups, organizations or things from those of others. Confirm that the applied-for string is not a “generic string” in which the applying entity intends to limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity.
As per Section 3(d) of Specification 11 of the Base Registry Agreement, a registry operator of a “generic string” may not impose eligibility criteria for registering names in the TLD that limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity and/or that person’s or entity’s “Affiliates” (as defined in Section 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement). “Generic String” means a string consisting of a word or term that denominates or describes a general class of goods, services, groups, organizations or things, as opposed to distinguishing a specific brand of goods, services, groups, organizations or things from those of others. Confirm that the applied-for string is not a “generic string” in which the applying entity intends to limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity.
true
Q223By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it is submitting this Application with a good faith (“bona fide”) intent to operate the gTLD for which it has applied, and that the applying entity has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it is submitting this Application with a good faith (“bona fide”) intent to operate the gTLD for which it has applied, and that the applying entity has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
true
Q224By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
true