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World Wide Web Source Code is Latest NFT for Sale

Tim Berners-Lee’s code for the World Wide Web is being sold as an NFT by Sotheby’s. (AFP)
Tim Berners-Lee’s code for the World Wide Web is being sold as an NFT by Sotheby’s. (AFP)
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World Wide Web Source Code is Latest NFT for Sale

Tim Berners-Lee’s code for the World Wide Web is being sold as an NFT by Sotheby’s. (AFP)
Tim Berners-Lee’s code for the World Wide Web is being sold as an NFT by Sotheby’s. (AFP)

Tim Berners-Lee’s source code for the World Wide Web is the latest non-fungible token (NFT) to go up for sale.

Sotheby’s in New York is selling the program that paved the way for the internet we know today more than 30 years after its creation.

The sale started June 23 and ends on Wednesday. Bidding had reached $2.8 million on Friday.

The lot includes an animated version of Berners-Lee’s nearly 10,000 lines of code and a letter from the British-born computer scientist himself.

“Ten years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to do this,” said Cassandra Hatton, vice-president at Sotheby’s, referring to the recent boom in NFTs.

Hatton said this work is unique because of its importance for the creation of the World Wide Web.

“That changed every aspect of your life,” Hatton said. “We don’t even fully comprehend the impact that it has on our lives, and the impact that we will continue to have on our lives.”

An NFT is a digital object such as a drawing, animation, piece of music, photo or video with a certificate of authenticity created by blockchain technology that underlies cryptocurrency. It cannot be forged or otherwise manipulated.

NFTs currently generate several hundred million dollars in transactions every month.

NFT exchanges take place in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin on specialist sites but traditional auction houses are seeking to capitalize on the phenomenon.

The most expensive NFT ever was sold by Christie’s in March for $69.3 million.

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India to Offer $4-$5 Bln in Incentives for Electronics Production, Weaning Off China

A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
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India to Offer $4-$5 Bln in Incentives for Electronics Production, Weaning Off China

A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole
A social media influencer uses a phone on the day of the unveiling of Hyundai IONIQ 9, a three-row electric SUV during a Hyundai event in the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, California, US, November 20, 2024. REUTERS/Daniel Cole

India will offer up to $5 billion in incentives to companies to make components locally for gadgets from mobiles to laptops, two government officials said, in a bid to bolster the burgeoning industry and wean off supplies from China.
India's electronic production has more than doubled in the last six years to $115 billion in 2024, led by growth in mobile manufacturing by global firms such as Apple and Samsung. It is now the world's fourth-largest smart phone supplier.
But the sector faces criticism for its heavy reliance on imported components from countries such as China.
"The new scheme will incentivize production of key components like printed circuit boards that will improve domestic value addition and deepen local supply chains for a range of electronics," one of the two officials said.
The incentives are likely to be offered under a new scheme expected to be launched in two to three months, said the officials, who asked not to be identified as details of the scheme are not yet public.
The scheme is likely to offer incentives totaling between $4-$5 billion to global or local firms which qualify, Reuters reported.
The plan, designed by the India's electronics ministry, has identified components eligible for incentives and is in its final stages.
The finance ministry will approve the scheme's final allocation soon, the first official added, with the sources expecting it to be launched in the next 2-3 months.
India's electronics ministry and finance ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
India is aiming to expand its electronics manufacturing to $500 billion by the fiscal year 2030, including production of components worth $150 billion, according to the government's top policy think tank Niti Aayog.
India imported electronics, telecoms gear, and electrical products worth $89.8 billion in the fiscal year 2024, with more than half sourced from China and Hong Kong, according to an analysis by private think tank GTRI.
"This scheme is coming at a time when it is critical to promote component manufacturing that will help us aim for a global-scale of electronics production," Pankaj Mohindroo, head of India's Cellular and Electronics Association, said.