actually regarding the effectiveness of the patent office.. i think it sort of comes down to (dis)incentives.. rejecting a patent on any ground requires explanation by the patent clerk.. and to make it worse, some of the compensation is actually proportional to how many patents they approve (some how indicating that they have gone through it)... combine the two (hard work to explain a rejection, and reward for number of acceptances) you have no regard of prior art or novelty or worse obviousness. I dont see why developing countries (or any entity) has to put up with and accept such shoddy practices purely because they benefit the entities with powerful lobbies (patent attorneys and large companies with enough resources to pursue litigation)...