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  "note": "It deserves special recognition that the core technology of the Web wasn't patented or copyrighted.\n\n> Thirty years ago, Tim Berners-Lee and CERN gave the world a gift. After some internal discussions, CERN stamped (quite literally) its approval on a document, relinquishing all intellectual property rights to the World Wide Web and entering it into the public domain. It wasn’t a decision that was altogether altruistic—there were certainly logistical and operational reasons for the choice—but it was a decision grounded in optimism and ambition. It radically changed the trajectory of the web, enabling an openness and accessibility that most technologies don’t come close to reaching.\n> \n> And yet, the most shocking part of the decision was that it wasn’t shocking at all.\n\nI was at the University of Minnesota when they were building Gopher, which at the time seemed like it could compete with the Web. \n\n> In February of 1993, the University of Minnesota made an announcement. In specific commercial usage of the protocol, they would be charging licensing fees. Not large fees, and not in all cases. But, in some small way, they would be restricting access.\n\nThe Web was better technology in my opinion, but it highlights how adding even a little bit of friction or cost can change the trajectory of solutions in radical ways.",
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