Involves

Moment

The Web released for others to build on

CERN, near Geneva; April 30, 1993

CERN released its World Wide Web software into the public domain on April 30, 1993. Other people could use and build on it without a licensing payment to CERN. Making another copy did not deprive the laboratory of its own.

Institution
CERN
Decision
Web software released to the public domain
Date
April 30, 1993

The caveat

CERN did not put every future website into the public domain, and the Web is distinct from the Internet it uses. The release predates Levin's term.

Tim Berners-Lee had developed the Web at CERN to support information sharing. Releasing the software removed an obstacle to wider adoption.

How it connects

CERN made Web software available for widespread reuse rather than restricting each additional copy.

This moment appeared in Giving without having less, the Involves connection for October 31, 2026, which asked: What changes when sharing a useful thing does not use it up?

Check yourself

What did CERN's 1993 decision make available?

Its World Wide Web software. Exactly. The release concerned CERN's Web software, not every resource or piece of content on the network.

What the sources establish

  • CERN placed World Wide Web software in the public domain on April 30, 1993, following the Web's development by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN.

Sources