Tedd fractiously said:

>That's only because no one in Europe develops any software that works. :-)

You also mentioned companies in USA not owning patents. In Australia,
Companies are legally people (different tax rate mind you) and can and do
own patents.

The crux of the matter is the wording of the contract of employment.
Sometimes the inventor owns, sometimes the company owns, sometimes both own
at a percentage laid out in the contract.

Peter