British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has sold at Sothebyʼs the original source code that underpins the Internet, as an NFT.
#AuctionUpdate One of the most historically significant digital artefacts ever sold, an NFT of the source code for the Web has brought $5.4 million. Offered by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, proceeds will benefit initiatives that Sir Tim & Lady Berners-Lee support.#ThisChangedEverything
— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) June 30, 2021
The lot was purchased by an unknown buyer for $5.4 million.
The auction ran from 23 to 30 June, with an opening bid of $1,000.
According to BBC News, for much of the final day of the auction the top bid hovered around $3.5 million, but in the last 15 minutes a flurry of new offers arrived.
Beyond the NFT, the new owner received the source-code file with timestamps, an animated video showing the code, Berners-Lee’s letter, and a digital poster featuring the code he created.
As reported in April 2021, Tim Berners-Lee personally contacted Sotheby’s with the idea of selling the code at auction. Proceeds from the sale will go to initiatives supported by the scientist and his wife Rosemary Leait.
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