Nonsense, it was open to many people. There is no "right way" to launch an ICO. It's what comes of the product/team in the months and years that really matters.
It was open to those who know about their ICO. There is no problem with it. That is Civic's ICO style. In the same way that there are free airdrops that are not really free at all. Each his own way.
Indeed, the truth of the matter is their project's prospects in the future and how they would end up faring. But for now, Civic's doing real good in the market. Pumping right now.
Im an investor in Ripple and many other Fintech companies, and I also explored why Civic is one of the successful ICO, it's gimmicks more than connotation.