Mer isn't exactly doing that much software development, compared with integration of existing software (as is typical in a distro). There is some of it, to be sure, in the forms of process & integration tools, but stuff like that, you're going to need specialised hackers to be able to use anyway, so that will most likely involve contribution.

Note that I never said:
- that it should necessarily be closed source
- that everything vaguely UI related should be treated in this fashion

I don't agree with either of those points at all. They impede the community and small scale hackers for no real "gain". I completely agree that it gets in the way.

The exact examples I mentioned were related to artwork and branding, etc - and to repeat exactly what I was trying to say: they should be open source, but licensed under a somewhat restrictive licence like creative commons non-commercial, meaning that they can be reused to the ends of time by community/hackers playing around in a garage, but they can't be used in a commercial way without an alternative licensing agreement being in place ensuring that leeching isn't a feasible business model.

You're more or less right. It shouldn't surprise you that I support this model of open source releasing combined with commercial "support"/negotiation to provide a way to earn money on top of it in order to further development.