Having read your comment, I just realized that I grew up in the heyday of American capitalism, Wall Street heroes, everyone wanting to be rich, tons of popular movies about small town boys making it big on wall street, the American dream, mansions, expensive cars, flashy, wealth glorified. Intellectual property, copyrights, laying claim, possessing, security, investments, portfolio management... Then I saw that fall apart. For a while now I've been noticing the open-source movement gaining more and more traction, skill-sharing, young people growing up in a world in which people share freely, all content is accessible, and these younger people rebel against people who try to monetize greedily. Caught between multiple generations, I am. I am very pro open source and skill-sharing, but the older part in me instantly thinks about profit margins and intellectual property, especially considering I worked for years at law firms specializing in such things. It's a bit confusing.
Ah, the good ol' American Dream. I could philosophize on that for ages. We could turn this into a very different discussion... But to attempt to tackle this in a way that makes a semblance of sense, I'd just say forget about money. Worldbuilding, for me and for most, is a non-profit hobby. You do it for the fun and the joy of doing it, with no expectation of return on investment. The return I get is happiness when I learn someone enjoys something I've created. That's all the profit I need. Once you throw money out of the equation, perspective changes. How does one steal something you freely give? I did start this post by suggesting a goal and a basic "product" to shoot for, but don't let that be the motivating factor, just let that be a guidepost to steer the development of your world. The "product" is always simply a way to share the world you've created, not something to be sold and made money off. Think of worldbuilding as any other hobby, not as a means to an end. One does not go skydiving expecting to have sponsorships from Red Bull and GoPro; one goes skydiving because skydiving is fun. And besides, even if you absolutely do intend to make money off it, many people have made money by sharing freely first. Tarn Adams, creator of the game Dwarf Fortress, gives his always-in-progress game away for free, yet makes a living off donations. But I think of that as a bonus, not the end goal.
Read your entire comment understanding what you were saying about forgetting about profit, do it because you enjoy it. But, being a Wall Street fantasy baby, it just wasn't sinking in. Until the above quote. Then it clicked. Always nice when someone phrases a concept in just the right way that it clicks for you. One does not go skydiving expecting to have sponsorships from Red Bull and GoPro; one goes skydiving because skydiving is fun.