Osaka Prefecture, etc. "There is a possibility that permission may not be obtained from the author for IR video"

Regarding IR=integrated resort facilities including casinos, Osaka Prefecture and others clarified that videos created and published by the business operator contained copyrighted works that were likely not to have been licensed from the authors. The prefectural government has said that it will delete such videos from the website and stop using them.

Regarding IR=integrated resort facilities including casinos, the government approved the development plans of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City on January 14, aiming to open in 2029.

Under these circumstances, the prefectural government and others were investigating the facts of videos created by the business operator and published by Osaka Prefecture and others for use in IR explanations, etc., after artist Yoshitomo Nara pointed out that the image of his work was being used without permission.

On the afternoon of the 17th, a person in charge of the IR Promotion Bureau created by Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City held a press conference and, as a result of checking with the business operator, revealed that the work contained works that were likely not to have been licensed for use by the authors.

In response to this, the prefectural government has taken measures to prevent recurrence by deleting videos containing such copyrighted works from its website, suspending its use, continuing to confirm the facts, and requesting business operators to thoroughly confirm the rights to copyrighted works.

Atsunori Sakamoto, Director General of the IR Promotion Bureau, said, "It is undeniable that the confirmation was insufficient, and we apologize."

"Deeply reflect and take measures to prevent recurrence"

In response to this issue, the Japan corporation of MGM Resorts International, an American IR management company that is a core shareholder of the operator Osaka IR Co., Ltd., released a comment.

"This use was solely due to our carelessness and we never intended to use it without proper procedures. We will continue to investigate and take thorough measures to prevent recurrence."

In addition, ORIX, another core shareholder, stated, "The use of the artwork, including the processing of the rights, was handled by MGM Resorts International, the parent company of Japan MGM Resorts, a joint operator of Osaka IR," and added, "It is extremely regrettable for us to this situation. We sincerely apologize for the great concern and inconvenience caused to the copyright holder and related parties."