Home / Arts and Entertainment / Shkreli's Wu-Tang Album Copyright War Reignites
Shkreli's Wu-Tang Album Copyright War Reignites
4 Feb
Summary
- Martin Shkreli claims ownership of half the album's copyrights.
- Album seized, sold for $4 million to PleasrDAO by feds.
- Shkreli disputes PleasrDAO's claim, calls sale improper.
Disgraced pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli has escalated his legal fight over the Wu-Tang Clan's single-copy album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Shkreli filed a new lawsuit claiming ownership of half the album's copyrights. Federal officials seized the album as part of a 2021 auction to compensate victims of his securities fraud conviction.
The album was subsequently sold for $4 million to the digital art collective PleasrDAO. Shkreli alleges that RZA and producer Cilvaringz improperly reclaimed and resold the copyrights without his knowledge. He contends this constituted an improper "duplicate sale."
Shkreli's claims follow a June 2024 lawsuit filed by PleasrDAO, which accused him of retaining album copies after a court ordered their forfeiture. A federal judge recently allowed PleasrDAO's case to proceed, considering the album a potential trade secret. Shkreli is demanding a ruling that it is not.
PleasrDAO's lawyer criticized Shkreli's actions as attempts to delay and distract, noting his claims contradict the court order for forfeiture. RZA previously expressed regret over selling the album, which he wished to keep for himself.
