CORELINE (D20 Modern/D20 BESM Setting).

[kronos182]

I had an idea for an organization. The Earth-Ferengi Trade Association, whose stated goal is facilitating trade between the Ferengi Alliance and Earth. However they are also interested in regulating trade to ensure future profits. Therefore they have lobbied to limit imports of certain technologies like replicators that might devalue their goods. They have even engaged in sponsoring privateers to do their bidding.

interesting idea, but i doubt they would be able to limit replicators as the Federation will push it, as it will reduce poverty, which would actually be good for Ferengi as they can get more people to buy arts and items that can't be replicated. they just have to invest in more stuff that is not replicateable, like food stuffs (yes can be, but a lot of people can tell the difference and generally prefer the real thing).
lots of other factions would love replicators and will push to get them. groups like the galactic empire would fight replicators to a point.. under palpatine's rule, he'd want to limit their control to the military and government, maybe the elites, to allow greater control.
Mars WH40k would go crazy and probably call it heresy and a mockery of the STCs.

 

[Lord Zack]

The Federation has the Prime Directive though, so that would limit them from importing tech to parts of Earth that they don't directly control I think.

 

[kronos182]

The Federation has the Prime Directive though, so that would limit them from importing tech to parts of Earth that they don't directly control I think.

while the prime directive prevents interference in the cultures, that doesn't stop them from trading common, non military, non classified technology with allies. replicators fall into this category. so Los Angeles can purchase replicator technology with the idea to reduce poverty, homelessness, as large ones allows creation of materials faster and cheaper.
the federation would provide ones that have lockouts to prevent several types of items from being created (explosives, etc). but this doesn't mean someone can't hack them later to do this.
i doubt the complete rules for the prime directive would apply to all groups on earth, but not interfering in their governments/laws would apply, but they would provide aid where the prime directive would prevent a pre-warp society, as Coreline Earth knows they exist, can access FTL tech with a little time and work. so if the federation offers replicators, in a licensing type situation, or with a number of restrictions of use, but not restrict access to them, they can control, to an extent, how they're used.
this would reduce crime around trying to acquire replicators, where the only crimes would be hacking them to make stuff they wouldn't normally make.
only thefts would be the big industrial ones, which requires more work to pull off, which has a higher chance of catching the criminals