Legal Data Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshiaki Morita; hereinafter referred to as Legal Data), a subsidiary of AI Data Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takani Sasaki), a company specializing in the utilization of corporate data and AI, has announced the "Group Legal Defense Model" as a new solution in the fields of forensics, e-discovery, and legal tech, powered by EASY Forensics × LegalTech VDR. This is a new legal defense model that integrates EASY Forensics (investigation/evidence engine) and LegalTech VDR (legal/confidential information sharing infrastructure) to enhance the collaboration between "legal affairs, external counsel, and affiliated companies" within large manufacturing companies, holding companies (HDs), and corporate groups. Legal Data proposes a legal defense infrastructure suitable for the era of corporate groups through a "dual approach of investigation (sword) × confidential information sharing (castle)". ■ Background: Legal Challenges in the Era of Corporate Groups In recent years, particularly among large corporations, there has been a trend towards: - Becoming holding companies (HD) - Group management - Complex supply chains - Strengthening governance - ESG and internal controls As these trends progress, the nature of legal affairs, internal investigations, and crisis management is also changing significantly. In particular, issues such as: - Antimonopoly Act and Subcontract Act - Response to the Fair Trade Commission - Quality issues - Information leaks - Whistleblowing - Cyber incidents - Accounting fraud have become themes that affect not just a single company but the "entire group." However, in practice, many operations still rely on: - Email distribution - USB transfers - Individual sharing - Person-dependent lawyer collaboration This leads to risks such as: - Mis-sending - Secondary leaks - Scattering of evidence - Confusion in version control - Unclear access permissions in information sha