Miti probing M'sia Pavilion creative work theft claim

Summary

• The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry says they are investigating a company’s claim that their work done for Malaysia Pavilion at a Japan expo was not paid or given acknowledgement.

• In a statement, Miti says they view the matter seriously and is gathering more information on the allegation

• This follows a businessperson’s social media post yesterday, claiming that his company’s works at the Expo 2025 Osaka were used without any credit or compensation.

The Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry has launched an investigation into a company’s allegation that it was not paid for creative works provided for the ministry, in regard to an ongoing expo in Japan.

In a statement, the ministry said it takes the matter seriously and is gathering all facts regarding the allegation, which has gone viral on social media.

“The ministry takes note of the allegation pertaining to the Malaysia World Expo concept creation that has been circulating on social media and reported by the press.

“The ministry is undertaking a thorough investigation to gather and ascertain all relevant facts concerning the allegation made by an individual on social media.

“We take this matter very seriously and reserve all our legal rights. The ministry remains committed to the highest standards of integrity and compliance in all its dealings. We will take legal action if and when necessary,” the ministry said.

Neither paid nor acknowledged

Yesterday, businessperson Fey Ilyas posted on Instagram claiming his company had developed the “concept, theme, narrative and architectural director” for the Malaysia Pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka, which began on April 13.

According to him, the company had brought in “world-class partners” and helped secure approvals for Malaysia’s exhibition at the global stage.

However, Fey claimed, the company was neither paid nor given any acknowledgement for their work.

“As a small company, even receiving proper acknowledgement for a project of this scale would have helped us build our reputation and open doors to new opportunities.

“We shouldn’t have to beg to be paid for work that was done, used, and publicly presented.

“Payment isn’t a favour, it’s the bare minimum. The fact that we even have to fight for it speaks volumes about how little respect they have for the people who actually do the work,” he posted.

Fey further alleged that the company was instead advised to stay quiet, as they were told that speaking up might hurt their chances of getting more jobs in the future.

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