Kaftan, businesses are in business to take the revenue available in the (finite) marketplace; to do this it behooves them to keep their competitive business advatanges. In your marketplace, as with many others in the knowledge industry, information is a key competitive element. Keeping IT assets safe and secure from competitors is pretty straight forward, I would think.
Would you be happy to see your artwork submitted under someone else's name, and they receive the credit, fudiciary reward and peer laudation?
Now think about the head of a creative company, like a developer, whose revenue depends on their novel and inventive work ... do you see the need for it now?
Otherwise, why is there an international patent treaty ...?