Aside from a nondescriptive title, this isn't too bad an idea. Only real difficulty is that it offsets the problem slightly rather than removing it. The brushes will eventually be encrusted with groo and need cleaning themselves. See ya there sometime soon. Optical mice, sure, - but none of mine or my friends mice are.
Most people use the one that came with their machines, forever.
The cheapo ones will continue to be made for the foreseeable. Maybe they could all be made this way. And this was in the 80s. It's not like we can't get perfectly good optical mice now that will work on any surface. As an ex-employee, who trained with Xerox after my degree, I can get nostalgic at times.