The United States does not have the “moral authority” to demand that the Dominican Republic modify Law 173 (see also yesterday’s DR1 news), which regulates the rights of local companies to distribute foreign brand-name products, says economist Frederic Emam Zade. His reasoning is that the US itself has similar legislation in 36 states, as well as Puerto Rico, some of which are even more stringent, he says. If the government were to revoke distributors’ rights, he added, they would have to provide them with compensation.