diff --git a/tools/server-spring/src/main/java/org/eclipse/rdf4j/http/server/repository/statements/StatementsController.java b/tools/server-spring/src/main/java/org/eclipse/rdf4j/http/server/repository/statements/StatementsController.java
index 804b206bfed..d0b3cd5e487 100644
--- a/tools/server-spring/src/main/java/org/eclipse/rdf4j/http/server/repository/statements/StatementsController.java
+++ b/tools/server-spring/src/main/java/org/eclipse/rdf4j/http/server/repository/statements/StatementsController.java
@@ -377,9 +377,9 @@ private ModelAndView getAddDataResult(Repository repository, HttpServletRequest
 		final boolean preserveNodeIds = ProtocolUtil.parseBooleanParam(request, Protocol.PRESERVE_BNODE_ID_PARAM_NAME,
 				false);
 
-		if (baseURI == null) {
-			baseURI = vf.createIRI("foo:bar");
-			logger.info("no base URI specified, using dummy '{}'", baseURI);
+		String baseURIString = null;
+		if (baseURI != null) {
+			baseURIString = baseURI.toString();
 		}
 
 		InputStream in = request.getInputStream();
@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ private ModelAndView getAddDataResult(Repository repository, HttpServletRequest
 			if (replaceCurrent) {
 				repositoryCon.clear(contexts);
 			}
-			repositoryCon.add(in, baseURI.toString(), rdfFormat, contexts);
+			repositoryCon.add(in, baseURIString, rdfFormat, contexts);
 
 			repositoryCon.commit();