Do all ANTIVIRUS companies research independently ?

1.   Ever wondered how a Antivirus signature is made? Not so difficult actually....the answer goes like you detect a virus and then make a anti dote for that and subsequently release it as a signature.But as you think at a slightly larger level...i mean signatures being released by various antivirus companies for the same virus.Does each antivirus company re invent the wheel for each virus every time a new virus is detected..... Do they actually work differently to first find and then create a signature separately....Are all the viruses/malware's created by various hackers and agencies detected independently by all these antivirus companies?I doubt...!!!!But if my doubt is incorrect, then it is a SAD issue.....Because with the speed of population explosion of these various malware's and viruses....there can not be so many separate fighters and if there is one way to fight this gigantic threat...these all antivirus companies have to fight together...We should indeed realize that the threat is not individually existing to you and me but it exists to US...ie not United States...but you and me together ie ALL OF US....:-)

2.  But fighting together will not be so easy as the Economics of this War will defy competition ...so is there a need of funding at national level or at cross country level?Will it one day become a UN issue....ha ha ha!...like poverty..food scarcity and other issues being undertaken by UN,will there be a day when UN funds these antivirus companies because global dependency on IT is increasing and so are all vulnerable to so many threats.....:-)

3.   The earlier this is made a common issue...the more safer will the world become in future...because this threat is common to world...so should be the solution...