One of the first ideas of 'content protection' that I came across in Education was when a previous school where I worked implemented Moodle. Teachers were protective of their worksheets, lesson plans, curriculum maps and other documents. I feel that sharing is a natural part of advancing the world, in whatever aspect a person can possibly contribute with.
As for the financial reward, I feel that schools are more interested in the rapport with students, how classes are constructed and effective student learning than where your ideas came from or where they're going. The collective mass of teachers should have the same goal in mind, thinking that if a lesson plan a teacher designed in Brazil is going to help a student being taught by a teacher in South Korea, that this is beneficial for all parties involved, regardless of any recognition.
This is not to say that authors of educational material shouldn't get credit for their work - and more important, teachers should not appropriate themselves of work that's not their own. Credit should be given where credit is due, of course, but protecting the work a teacher makes like it's the recipe for Coca-Cola won't help anyone besides the insignificant fraction of the world's student population this particular teacher works with.
I too have worked in schools around the world where teachers guard their lesson plans with their lives. Although in some cases I think this was because they were embarrassed by what they had to offer, this culture was reflected in student attitudes toward collaboration and PBL.
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