It is correct that a lot of talented Europeans get educated in Europe and then immigrate to the US starting successful companies. Without those Europeans, there would be a lot fewer successful US companies.
American rules, if you start a billion dollar company in the States you're one of us :)
On a more serious note, the US awards more college degrees per capita than most other developed nations. Strict licensing requirements or not, software engineering is just what it's called here because of the many and obvious similarities between it and other kinds of engineering.
