Founded at Harvard Law School, the center traditionally focused on Internet-related legal issues. On May 15, 2008, the Center was elevated to an interfaculty initiative of Harvard University as a whole.
Berkman Center for Internet & Society is named after the Berkman family, who owned the communications company The Associated Group (later sold to Liberty Media). On July 5, 2016, the Center added "Klein" to its name following a gift of $15 million from Michael R. Klein, a former partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr and an early investor in CoStar Group.