GAC Secretariat
Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi
1016, Electronics Neketan,
6 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road
New Delhi -110 003 India
As PDF per email to gacsec@gac.icann.org and
chair@gac.icann.org
Information on how dotBERLIN will respect
and incorporate other locations with the name BERLIN into its
application for the .berlin TLD
Dear Mr. Tarmizi
GeoTLDs will become an important part of the DNS in the future.
Our company dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG appreciates the extensive
work and discussion the GAC is pursuing in terms of GeoTLDs,
publically last-mentioned at the GAC-GNSO forum at the ICANN
meeting in Sao Paulo. The .berlin TLD is the first GeoTLD
showing up at ICANN with a serious intent to get approved, but
several other applicants awaiting the next opportunity to apply
for a GeoTLD string as well, including .paris, .nyc (New York
City), .sco (Scots), .cym (Wales), .bzh (Brittany), .gal
(Galicia), .lac (Latin American Community) and .africa.
dotBERLIN used many opportunities to get in contact and discuss
GeoTLD topics with GAC representatives. We also contributed
substantive papers on GeoTLDs issues for information and
discussion at the IGF meeting, ICANN meetings and in ICANN
discussion forums. One important point in the discussions has
been, from the beginning, the question how to respect and
incorporate other locations which are signified by the same
string that a TLD applicant is heading for.
Although the proposed TLDs for metropolises like Berlin, Paris
or New York will be targeted primarily for the communities of
these metropolises, we always emphasised how important it is for
us, to respect and incorporate, in our case, the legitimate
interests of other locations with the name Berlin into our
application. It should be mentioned that, worldwide, the name
Berlin is mainly associated with Germany’s capital Berlin.
Approximately 98% of all Berliners live in Berlin, Germany.
Please find attached to this letter the original text and a
courtesy translation of a resolution of the German parliament
(Bundestag) from March 7th, 2007, which supports the
introduction of GeoTLDs for German cities and regions.
Most locations with the name Berlin have roots in people,
culture or relations deriving from Berlin, Germany; sometimes
going back centuries. A .berlin TLD will bring awareness to all
locations with the name Berlin. It is assumed that especially
some of the smaller locations might gain, in comparison, more
out of the .berlin TLD in terms of marketing and tourism for the
location than the metropolis Berlin itself.
Since the topic is sensitive and relevant to countries, regional
authorities and the Internet community at large, we would like
to inform the GAC how we prepare to respect and incorporate
other locations with the name Berlin. For this reason we have
formulated a couple of questions, which will help also other
potential GeoTLD applicants to get a clarification.
1. What is our opinion regarding the .berlin application,
taking into account the fact that there are other locations
which are signified by the string “berlin”?
Our clear opinion is that other locations with the name Berlin
have to be respected and incorporated into the application for
the .berlin TLD.
2. How do we identify other locations with the name Berlin?
We think that we have identified other locations with the name
Berlin effectively. Basis of our research is the book “From
Berlin via Berlin to Berlin” by a Berlin based photo journalist
who did a round trip visiting 65
Berlins worldwide. He also did extensive outreach about
locations with the name Berlin and
found all together 72 locations with the name Berlin. We
additionally asked the government of the city of Berlin,
Germany, if they may provide us with a list of the Berlins which
are known to them. We additionally used search engines
and tools like Wikipedia, Google Earth/Maps and MSN maps to
identify further locations with the name Berlin. Our, almost
complete, list of locations with the name Berlin is attached to
this letter.
3. Which locations should be incorporated?
We think that legally autonomous or incorporated authorities
(self-governing entities) should be included. A brief definition
of these entities can be found on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_area
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government.
Our research revealed that there should be at least 20 locations
eligible to be called a self-governing Berlin. Not eligible
should be locations like New Berlin, Berlinchen, Berlyn or
haciendas, mountains or lakes with the
name Berlin.
4. How should the other Berlins be contacted and informed
about the .berlin TLD application in order to obtain a feedback?
To obtain a feedback of the respective locations we followed
different ways. One way we’ve gone so far is to write a letter
to all embassies of countries in Germany with locations with the
name Berlin, to make the .berlin TLD initiative known to the
respective governmental officers. Another way is that we
contacted local authorities of Berlins where there was at least
an address of the local authorities available. Additionally we
visited a smaller Berlin and presented the .berlin TLD at a
municipal council meeting.
5. To what extent should the feedback of the locations be
taken into account regarding the decision of approving the TLD?
We think that substantive and legally reasonable objections
should be taken into account by dotBERLIN, but that such
objections should be able to stop our well-founded application
for the Berlin community in Germany only in exceptional
circumstances. No answer of embassies or locations should not be
withheld to our application. If there are objections we will
have to show how to arbitrate and mediate them.
6. How do we intend to respect and incorporate other locations
in our application?
We think that other Berlins should be encouraged to participate
in the .berlin TLD and should facilitate the advantages a .berlin
TLD could have for their community. To support the
well-established bottom-up multi-stakeholder approach we will
provide a dotBERLIN-Wiki for all Berliners worldwide to give the
community of Berliners the opportunity to get involved in our
project, make proposals and work on the registration policies.
Ideally there should be agreements for governance of the .berlin
TLD between dotBERLIN and local authorities interested in the
TLD. We already set out, in the draft of our registration
guidelines, the participation of Berliners in other Berlins. We
appreciate if authorities, organizations or individuals from
other locations worldwide named Berlin would register
Second-Level-Domains (SLDs) like cityhall.berlin, like
alcadale.berlin or snyders.berlin.
The respect and incorporation of interests of other Berlins
should not exceed an extent which threatens the operational aims
of the dotBERLIN business plan and thereby the overall success
of the TLD for the Berlin, Germany, community.
Since the whole topic may be important to future GeoTLD
applicants, we kindly ask you that in your capacity of chair of
the GAC, you review, and ask committee members to review, the
information we provided and to give feedback to our company.
Sincerely yours,
Dirk Krischenowski
Managing Director
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