Conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group rebutted reports on Tuesday that its new theme park in Nanchang, capital of East China's Jiangxi Province, is violating the intellectual property rights (IPR) of the Walt Disney Co.
In a statement on its website, Wanda said that Wanda City, a complex of shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, bars and theme parks that opened on Saturday, never illegally used or displayed Disney characters as part of any promotion.
The comment followed media reports that a couple of performers dressed as Snow White and Mickey Mouse had been spotted at Wanda's new theme park.
Disney was quoted by Bloomberg as saying on Monday that it will take action to address infringement of its IPR.
Even if there are Disney-related characters at Wanda City, they're being used with authorization by retailers at the Wanda shopping mall, according to the statement.
The media reports don't reflect the facts, said Wanda.
"Wanda has long paid close attention to intellectual property protection ... we regret the groundless accusations by some media outlets and companies," read the statement.
The Wanda City in Nanchang, also known as Cultural Tourism City, is the first of 15 planned entertainment complexes. The Chinese company aims to fight for market share with Shanghai Disneyland, which is scheduled to open on June 16.
Wanda will make it impossible for Disney China to make a profit in the next 10 to 20 years, Wanda Chairman Wang Jianlin was quoted by China Central Television as saying on May 22.
At the Nanchang attraction, tickets for the outdoor theme part will cost 198 yuan ($30) on most days and 248 yuan on peak days, nearly half of ticket fees charged by Shanghai Disneyland.
Wang said in an annual report in January that the target for Wanda's culture arm in 2016 is 66.64 billion yuan, a rise of 30 percent from 2015.
This September, Wanda will unveil its second Cultural Tourism City in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui Province, which is about 440 kilometers away from Nanchang. Another five are planned to open within China in the next three years.
Chinese theme parks are likely to attract 320 million visitors by 2025, according to statistics from the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
