The Web seems unique, independent, free and open. The laws of copyright, however, still apply. That copying is, in the absence of a licence from the author, an act infringing copyright. No explicit licence is granted on each page for each element. One is implied.
People only have any right to make a copy of the web page by virtue of that implied licence.
Many are accessible only on subscription. Because access is by virtue of an implied licence only, that licence can be limited or particularised as the rights-owner sees fit. He has the right to set the terms on which you visit his page, and copy his material onto your computer. That right includes the right to make particular rules for particular people. This is where you do not yourself make a copy of an article, but you instead make it possible for somebody else to do so.