Nobody mention Alcock & Brown, Kohl, Sputnik or Gagarin or even von Braun, we'll cause the old troll to have a fit.
why didn't they patent the airplane? because their attorney, one of the finest patent attorneys of the time, told them the best way to protect their invention. It was a legal decision.
and the correct one of course, because it would have failed on every level.
Best to remember that Hollywood is entertainment, not historical fact.