pentejr: "In a tournament where one loss puts you out of it, those with higher ratings should be protected against one another in the early rounds."

I've never heard of (noticed) this bracketing method, let alone the rationale, so this in a new idea. You're saying it's about protection and the top half are the ones who are getting protected and the bottom half pay the price, as it were. #1 gets the most protection by playing #8, and the #4, being the least important of the protected, therefore gets the least protection by playing #5.

If that's the aim then it makes sense to me. Certainly it would work in my favour in tournaments, lolol.

"I think we have different definitions of "fair."

I wouldn't call it "fair" at all because it's deliberately designed to ease the passage of some at the expense of others. Nothing fair about that as I see it (showing lack of favoritism; in an evenhanded manner; free from favoritism or self-interest or bias). But if that's not a priority, that's, er, fair enough.