They wouldn't have told anybody about their idea until someone paid them because they wouldn't have had an expectation of gaining 'IP' rights. I will always make my living off of creating new things. I don't need an extended monopoly on something old. I won't create new things for people unless I'm either paid for them first, or have no expectation of maintaining IP style rights to them. I'm quite confident that my ability to synthesize new ideas is so valuable that people will pay me outright to do it.
Creators have the ultimate control.
They can choose not to create. If nobody will pay them to create, then maybe it isn't such a valuable thing after all. The best we can hope for concerning the people at large is that they be properly armed. All rights reserved.