What is Martin Shkreli's current claim regarding the Wu-Tang Clan album?

Martin Shkreli claims he still owns half of the copyrights to the Wu-Tang Clan's album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.

Who bought the Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin?

The Wu-Tang Clan's album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, was bought for $4 million by the digital art collective PleasrDAO.

Why was the Wu-Tang Clan album seized and sold?

The album was seized by federal officials and sold at auction to help compensate victims of Martin Shkreli's securities fraud conviction.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Shkreli's Wu-Tang Album Copyright War Reignites

Shkreli's Wu-Tang Album Copyright War Reignites

4 Feb

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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.

Shkreli's Wu-Tang Album Copyright War Reignites

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.