The top-level domain (TLD) “.BIO” is generally used to represent biology, biographic information, and/or biotechnology on the internet. It falls under the category of generic top-level domains (gTLDs), which are one of the categories of top-level domains (TLDs) maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet.
Second level domain names with the .BIO extension can be registered directly under .BIO without any restriction. It is managed by STARTING DOT, a company that specializes in domain-name registry services and is also known for other TLDs such as .archi and .ski. REGISTRY.BIO is the official website for .BIO TLD, while DNS Belgium, the registry for .be, .brussels, and .vlaanderen, is the backend provider.
The .BIO TLD was launched in August 2014 as a new domain extension dedicated to the entire biotech sector including individuals, professionals, and companies engaged in biological, ecological, organic or environmental activities. This includes domains such as johnsmith.bio for a personal biography, cellbio.bio for a biology company, or greenbio.bio for an environmentally-friendly business.
For example, Mosaic, a biotech pioneer in the gene editing space, uses www.mosaic.bio as its official website. Ellipsis Biospace, another biotech company, uses www.ellipsisbio.space. Both are examples of .BIO TLDs being utilized to create identifiable and unique online spaces for biotech businesses.
Additionally, .BIO has a particularly strong emphasis on activities and products that respect the principles of organic farming, according to the IFOAM Norms. As a registry, STARTING DOT set out the regulations for the .BIO TLD to ensure it is used by registrants who respect the principles of organic farming.
Further, .BIO is also seen used by many individuals for their online portfolios or biographical websites. For example, a writer could have janesmith.bio to showcase their published works and career history.
In conclusion, as the Internet continues to grow and evolve, the .BIO TLD is an innovative tool that offers a specific and meaningful platform for individuals, professionals, and organizations engaged in the diverse domain of biology, biotech, and organics.
Sources:
- “Generic top-level domain.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generic_top-level_domain
- “Starting Dot scores again as two more new gTLDs pass.” Domain Incite. http://domainincite.com/12959-starting-dot-scores-again-as-two-more-new-gtlds-pass
- “.bio Domain Names – NiceNIC.NET.” NiceNIC.NET. https://nicenic.net/domain/bio-domain-registration.php
- “Mosaic.” Mosaic. https://mosaic.bio/
- “Ellipsis Biospace.” Ellipsis Biospace. https://ellipsis.bio/
- “IFOAM Norms for Organic Production and Processing.” IFOAM Organics International. https://www.ifoam.bio/en/ifoam-norms
- “New gTLDs from a trademark point of view.” Witold Grabiec. https://witoldgrabiec.pl/en/new-gtlds-from-a-trademark-point-of-view/#strefanewgtlds7
