A bit off topic but on a similar note is there anything protecting intellectual property monopolies? This may sound ridiculous but culture has a big impact on i

A bit off topic but on a similar note is there anything protecting intellectual property monopolies? This may sound ridiculous but culture has a big impact on its host society. For hypothetical instance: Is there anything preventing big media corporations from buying up all the comic book character rights and then holding a monopoly on that genre of entertainment? If not should such protection exist?