I can't say I like the concept of encouraging openness through censorship (which is basically how IP works, right?), but I think you're spot on there. I don't know the reality, but the rich have better marketers to determine how best to profit off of an idea and how best to make that profiting seem polite to the original creator. There are already times someone makes a deal with Hollywood and doesn't like the result; I don't think that's distinguishable from someone who doesn't get to have a say in any deal in the first place.
It would be nice if there were another option like the anarchic politeness waterhouse describes, but I think IP is the natural next step from that, being a law system to help courts encourage/enforce politeness on behalf of people who don't have enough marketing dollars or military power to encourage it themselves.
