.bio

Overview

• .bio is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) intended for use by communities and businesses related to life, biology and organic topics.
• The string was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 2 June 2014 as part of ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• The registry website is domains.bio.

History

• The .bio application proceeded through ICANN's New gTLD Program.
• Starting Dot was the original manager; a Registry Agreement for .bio was signed by ICANN on 6 March 2014 for Starting Dot.
• Afilias later became the registry operator after acquiring Starting Dot and its rights to .bio (along with .archi and .ski) in August 2016.
• .bio was delegated to the root zone on 2 June 2014.

Usage and Audience

• The label bio denotes life and biological topics, and in many languages it is used to mean organic; this gives the TLD natural appeal to audiences in:
  • biotechnology and life sciences
  • organic food and agriculture
  • personal biographies and professional profiles
  • related research, education and commercial services
• Because bio also commonly signals organic products in parts of Europe, registrants offering organic food or agricultural products are a notable audience.

Registration Rules

• The .bio registry implemented regulations for registrants who intend to use the TLD as a space for organic food products to respect European Union standards for 'bio' / organic food.
• Other uses not related to organic products are not subject to those specific regulations and the TLD is otherwise open.

SEO and Brand Impact

• The application and early operation of .bio attracted regulatory attention and industry scrutiny, which can affect perception and brand positioning:
  • A French GAC early warning highlighted potential consumer confusion owing to varying international standards for agricultural and organic product labeling.
  • The European Commission flagged the application among a set of strings that could raise compatibility issues with EU legislation or policy.
  • The biotechnology industry raised objections during the application process (see Notable Cases), which were later withdrawn or dismissed.
• These events indicate heightened regulatory and stakeholder scrutiny around uses of the string tied to organic and biological claims.

Notable Cases or Examples

• French GAC representative issued an Early Warning noting concerns about agricultural and organic product standards.
• The European Commission included .bio among applications it flagged for potential compatibility issues with EU law or policy.
• The Biotechnology Industry Organization filed a community objection that was later withdrawn.
• BIO also filed a legal rights objection; a WIPO panelist (Christopher J. Pibus) dismissed that legal rights objection.
• Registry Agreement for .bio was signed 6 March 2014; delegation to the root zone occurred 2 June 2014; Afilias acquired the registry rights in August 2016.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       BIO

organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      c/o Identity Digital Inc.
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         Vice President, Engineering
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      c/o Identity Digital Inc.
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldadmin@identity.digital

contact:      technical
name:         Senior Director, DNS Infrastructure Group
organisation: Identity Digital Limited
address:      c/o Identity Digital Inc.
address:      10500 NE 8th Street, Suite 750
address:      Bellevue WA 98004
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1.425.298.2200
fax-no:       +1.425.671.0020
e-mail:       tldtech@identity.digital

nserver:      A0.NIC.BIO 2a01:8840:52:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.84.9
nserver:      A2.NIC.BIO 2a01:8840:55:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.87.9
nserver:      B0.NIC.BIO 2a01:8840:53:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.85.9
nserver:      C0.NIC.BIO 2a01:8840:54:0:0:0:0:9 65.22.86.9
ds-rdata:     16334 8 2 aeaf99ce9c6f64b1607605dae987d3bd0acd4c5490691322b98c592c9c27b14b

whois:        

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://www.identity.digital/

created:      2014-05-15
changed:      2025-09-04
source:       IANA