Epiphany time?

I wrote about open source a while back and the idea of using that concept not only for software development in the case of Linux, but also for space colonization.   It appears to me now that there's just as strong a tendency to keep one's mouth shut about all intellectual property, not about just software.  Now I understand the motivation behind this, maybe even the necessity for it.  While at the same time I see this, I can also see the advantage of openly sharing information.  In the vernacular, it means getting the message out.  How do you do that sometimes when the interest in it doesn't exist?  Or it doesn't appear to exist?  Or if it exists, the community refuses to discuss it for the reason given above?  It seems to be a problem.  Or is it just my problem?