How Did The Net Become Free In The First Place?

An Anonymous Coward seeks historical information on the following: "Maybe it's just time for me to brush up on my geek history, but I find myself wondering more and more each day, how it was possible for the Internet to escape government AND corporate rule. These days, record companies are trying to tell me that I own the plastic CD, but not the material on it. I can purchase DVDs, but am only able to watch them in certain countries (read: Regions). Consumer software seems to be switching from flat-rate fees to subscription based services. Media providers are merging with mediums (MSNBC and AOL-Time Warner come to mind..) Therefore, it amazes me that the fundamentals of the Internet were able to avoid all of this. How did that happen? Was there just a different mindset back then? Did anyone predict the dotcom explosion (and ultimately, denouement?) How did this medium come to run itself? And how can we create another medium like it when every last bit of control is eventually squeezed out from this one?"