'They took our work': Creative agency claims Miti stole expo 2025 design
SHAH ALAM - A Malaysian creative agency, believed to be led by Instagram user @feythehuman has alleged that the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) Malaysia stole their intellectual property related to the Malaysia Pavilion project for Expo 2025 Osaka.
In a series of 16 slides posted on Instagram, @feythehuman detailed how Miti allegedly engaged their company in 2022 to develop the "concept, theme, narrative and architectural direction" for Malaysia's participation in the international expo.
They claimed that their work was later used without any form of acknowledgement, appointment or payment, triggering outrage on social media.
“The Malaysia Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka is built on stolen creative work. Our proposal was appropriated by Miti Malaysia without acknowledgement or compensation.
“In 2022, Miti engaged us as creative consultants to develop the concept, theme, narrative and architectural direction for Malaysia's participation in Expo 2025 Osaka.
"They took our work and never paid us a sen,” they said.
The allegations also involved claims that their thematic ideas were reused, with @feythehuman arguing that although the wording was changed, the original message remained intact.
They claimed that Miti had taken their theme, describing it as a deliberate rewording that preserved the core idea and intent, simplified but still unmistakably theirs.
“They used our narrative and this is plagiarism by adaptation. They copied our structure, same narrative flow, same thematic beats. Just reshuffled, renamed and presented as something new.
“They took our Act 1, split it into two. Removed Act 3 entirely and repackaged it all under labels like ‘Human and Human’ and ‘Human and Nature.’”
@feythehuman also revealed that they had sourced and introduced the prestigious Japanese architectural firm Kengo Kuma and Associates to Miti, citing the firm’s design philosophy as a perfect fit for the concept they had developed.
“We brought in renowned Japanese architectural firm Kengo Kuma and Associates, not only to elevate Malaysia's presence at Expo 2025, but because their design philosophy aligned closely with the concept we had developed, making them the ideal partner to bring our vision to life.
"We introduced them directly to Miti, crafted the architectural design brief and actively facilitated the collaboration between both parties.
“Throughout the process, we ensured that the design remained aligned with the overarching concept and theme, so that every element of the pavilion would reflect a cohesive and compelling vision of Malaysia on the world stage,” @feythehuman added.
Despite their deep involvement, @feythehuman said they were eventually pushed aside.
They shared that they had presented the idea to several ministries, including Miti’s Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, where they had to explain the vision, defend the approach and gain support as the original creators of the concept.
The presentations were held across several ministries from December 2022 to January 2023, with meetings listed as follows:
According to @feythehuman, they spent eight months working under tight deadlines, with repeated assurances that their formal appointment was on the way, only to be told in January 2023 that it would not proceed and their work would instead be put up for open tender.
In a shocking turn, the post claimed that the tender briefing used their concept "word for word," and one of the circulated documents allegedly even carried their company’s initials in the file name.
While they acknowledged that project directions can change and ideas can be scrapped, @feythehuman emphasised that if Miti had genuinely decided to start fresh and call for new proposals, they would not be in this situation.
“We would have respected that. But that is not what happened. They continued using the work we developed and to this day, refuse to acknowledge or compensate us for it.
“That is not a change in direction. That is theft,” they stressed.
Despite numerous efforts over the span of two years to seek resolution—including meetings with Tengku Zafrul, letters to the Expo secretariat, direct communications and even a letter of support from Kengo Kuma and Associates—the matter remains unresolved.
“We were assured it would be resolved. Instead, we were given the runaround for over two years. When I tried to speak up publicly, I was blocked by Tengku Zafrul and restricted by the official Expo 2025 Malaysia Instagram page.
“Ironically, a Japanese architectural firm has done more to recognise and support our contributions than our own government,” they lamented.
Eventually, they received a blunt response stating that no payment would be made due to "a lack of procurement records," a justification they described as an evasion tactic.
“That failure is theirs, not ours. We delivered the work. At their request. Under their direction. They used our work. Now they are hiding behind bureaucracy to avoid paying for it.
“This is not just about us. It is about how government agencies sideline smaller companies while protecting the interests of the well-connected. And it is happening on the world stage, under Malaysia's name.
“We built the vision. They used it, stripped our names from it, watered it down and handed it off to someone else. No credit. No payment. Just silence and the expectation that we would take it quietly. But staying silent only makes this normal. And it should not be,” they said.
In the caption accompanying their Instagram post, @feythehuman said they should never have to beg for payment for work that was completed, used and publicly showcased.
They stressed that being paid is not a favour but the very least that should be expected.
“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. We chose to speak up because dignity is worth more than access.
“Staying quiet only protects the people who keep doing this to others,” they concluded.
On April 26, Miti launched an investigation into allegations that uncredited and uncompensated work was used for the Malaysia Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka.
The ministry acknowledged the allegation, which surfaced on social media and was reported by the press, involving claims that the Pavilion’s concept, theme, narrative and architectural direction, developed by a private company, were used without proper recognition or payment.
@feythehuman alleged that their company had worked on the project for nearly two years before it was "taken" by the ministry.
Miti said it took the matter very seriously, emphasised its commitment to integrity and compliance and reserved the right to take legal action if necessary.
Download Sinar Daily application.Click Here!
