There is a difference between public property and private property that is made available to the public. Just because the cafe on the corner has its door open and lets you stroll in off the street doesn't mean that the property owner doesn't retain the right to exclude people. And if the property owner revokes your permission, then going onto the property again can be a crime (trespass).[1]
Servers are no different. The Internet isn't an abstraction--it's just pieces of private property connected together (servers, routers, switches). When you make an HTTP request, you're accessing a piece of private property. The owner of that property has every right to decide not to let you do so.
Servers are no different. The Internet isn't an abstraction--it's just pieces of private property connected together (servers, routers, switches). When you make an HTTP request, you're accessing a piece of private property. The owner of that property has every right to decide not to let you do so.