The system already rewards examiners for denying an application. (They get a count regardless how they dispose of the application.) Come Nov. 1st the rules for patenting are going to change dramatically. A lot of the complaints out there are getting addressed (for better or worse) by the rule changes. Everyone wants to see "obvious" patents rejected, unless you are the guy who came up with them. This is the *clarification* of the rule changes: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/opla/preognotice/clmcontclarification.pdf If only I had patented the spreadsheet....