But DNS is the keys to the kingdom. After beginning most of what we now call "the internet" hanging on to one last key doesn't seem like to much to ask. Can someone imagine France giving up the right determine if certain wines are Bordeaux? Or the Swedish Academy of Sciences getting final say on who wins the Nobel Peace prize?
The example is even worse than OP thinks, because American universities through better cooperation de-facto have control over the memorial prize in economics.
The key is only useful if you have something to unlock. The web is responsible for the extreme number of users we see today, and it was invented by a British guy. The funding came from an European laboratory.
