One of the great and terrible things about the software industry is that there's no certifying body, no professional ethics code to sign and adhere to, no government regulation around how you can sell your services.

This is one of the best parts: many software people have gotten in through circuitous routes, have no formal training, and have done great things despite that.

On the other hand, because of that, we don't have any consensus and ability to shun or disposess companies that act unethically.

Quite frankly, I don't think any board of ethics would step in here. I don't see anything in the IEEE code of ethics that would be clear here. I don't think that professional licensing or better professional organizations are the way to stop this behavior.