Fernando Capellan, president of the Dominican Association of Free Zones, advocated the President veto the law of Intellectual Property Industrial that was passed by Congress. The bill has divided business sectors. Fernando Capellan said that the President should have foremost the national interest above particular interests of certain business groups. He says that the law does not comply with World Trade Organization positions. The law has been objected by the American and European chambers of commerce and by local pharmaceutical importers groups, mainly ARAPF, especially regarding matters dealing with compulsory licensing. Capellán favored the passing of a bill that truly protects industrial property, stimulates foreign investment and may be a model for other nations. The US recently included the DR in a list of countries that are under observation for violation of the World Trade Organization agreements on intellectual property. Federico Cuello, Dominican ambassador to the World Trade Organization, says that only the Dispute-Settlement Body (DSB) of the WTO has jurisdiction under international law to decide whether the law, if eventually passed by the President, is WTO-compliant. In his opinion, the passing of the bill is literally a matter of "life and death."
