You read the headline correctly, the original source code for the internet has sold at auction for around $5.4 million. Tim Berners-Lee auctioned the source code as an NFT through the blockchain.

The Internet's Source Code Sells for $5.4 Million

Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the internet as we know it (the World Wide Web), has auctioned off the original source code. The source code was sold digitally as an NFT through the blockchain for $5,434,500 ($5.43 million) after it was listed for auction in June.

The NFT was listed by Sothebys auction house. Labelled "Source Code for the WWW (1990-1991)", the code was purchased as a non-fungible token (NFT). Due to the nature of the technology, the NFT was paid for in cryptocurrency through the auction house.

Whoever purchased the NFT, will receive an original archive of dated and time-stamped files containing the source code. These files were written by Berners-Lee between 3 October, 1990 and 24 August, 1991, and contain 9,555 lines of code in total. The creation of HTML, HTTP, and URIs is all within the source code, as well as the original HTML documents instructing early internet users on how to use the application.

A screenshot from the auction site selling the internet source code NFT.
Image Credit: Sothebuys

The NFT owner also received a 30 minute-long visualization of the code being written, which is essentially a video of the text appearing on the screen. Also included is a visual representation of the full code created by Berners-Lee, which is an image stretching to 841mm x 1,189mm.

Rather ironically, both of these visual elements are viewable on Sothebys' webpage for the auction listing, which is still live now. However, the owner also received a letter signed by Berners-Lee earlier this year, which isn't viewable on the website. All the proceeds from the auction sale will go toward causes chosen by Berners-Lee and his wife.

What Is an NFT?

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Tokens, and are a direct product of the blockchain explosion. "Token" comes directly from the crypto space, and "fungible" is a jargon term from finance and economics.

Buying an NFT is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity and proof of ownership. When you buy an NFT, what you're really buying is the blockchain token that ties the digital artifact to an exact point on the blockchain.

Related: What Is a Non-Fungible Token (NFT)?

You're not actually buying the digital artifact or even the intellectual property rights to it. This means that although you technically own the digital asset, it can still be used and distributed online. For example, owned NFT memes are still published on social media, and the internet source code assets are still visible on the auction site.

Someone Technically Owns the Internet Source Code Now

With the sale of the internet's original source code, someone now technically owns the internet's source code. Even though the creator still has the source code, and the fruition of the code is accessed everyday by everyone, someone still gets to say they own the internet source code.

Despite the NFT still being almost entirely useless (bar some serious bragging rights), the internet source code has to be the coolest NFT out there.