The first question I have is why is an XRP currency unit needed in order to keep the ledger of IOUs? That's not how Ripple started...
It's used to prevent spam in the ledger and provide ease of currency exchange. For example: BTC -> XRP -> Yen or USD -> XRP -> Frequent Flyer miles Whatever! Anything of value.
Second, if you say XRP currency was created to raise money I don't have a problem with that, but it should then be done as an alt-coin, the cryptographic model people are familiar with and respect because they know there are no shenanigans for the market. Everything is independently verifiable.
XRP is a math-based currency just like any other. Why would it need to be a copy of the Bitcoin source to be legit? Here's a tip to understanding Ripple...FUCK XRP!! Once you understand that, the world of possibilities that exist with Ripple open up and you see, as was mentioned, that "copycats" have done little more than repackage Ripple features and look to sell IPO's based on the negative sentiment of the community. The difference is....Ripple works. XRP was not created to be a speculative commodity so when people stop looking at Ripple based on BS market caps and start looking at the utility it can provide, the whole space will benefit.