American Investor Martin Shkreli Accused Of Copying And Sharing One-Of-A-Kind Wu-Tang Clan Album

NEW YORK — Martin Shkreli, an American investor, is facing a new lawsuit for allegedly storing and sharing recordings from a unique Wu-Tang Clan album that he was forced to sell after being convicted of securities fraud in 2017.

PleasrDAO, a cryptocurrency collective, filed the case on Monday after paying Shkreli $4.75 million for the only known copy of the album. The record, “Once Upon a Time is Shaolin,” has remained unreleased to the public, serving as a rare contemporary art piece since it was auctioned off by the renowned hip-hop group in 2015.

PleasrDAO accused Shkreli of violating their agreement by retaining digital copies of the album and circulating them extensively among his social media followers in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.

Shkreli | AP News Image

American Investor Martin Shkreli Accused Of Copying And Sharing One-Of-A-Kind Wu-Tang Clan Album

They allude to his recent social media posts boasting of distributing the digital recordings to “thousands of people.” According to the lawsuit, Shkreli played bits of the album during a livestream he hosted on X over the weekend, referring to it as a “Wu tang official listening party.”

Shkreli has not responded to a request for comment.

The lawsuit is the latest twist in a unique record created in protest of music’s devaluation in the streaming era but purchased at auction by Shkreli, a man infamous for inflating the price of a life-saving prescription and his “Pharma Bro” reputation.

Shkreli | Coin Base Image

American Investor Martin Shkreli Accused Of Copying And Sharing One-Of-A-Kind Wu-Tang Clan Album

Following his conviction on securities fraud charges, Shkreli was compelled to sell the CD, which came in a hand-crafted silver and nickel casing and included a 174-page leather-bound book.

PleasrDAO stated that it purchased both the physical copy of the record and its digital rights in two transactions, in 2021 and 2024. They stated that Shkreli had erased all traces of the album’s files.

“Any dissemination of the Album’s music to the general public greatly diminishes and/or destroys the Album’s value, and significantly damages PleasrDAO’s reputation and ability to commercially exploit the Album,” the complaint claims.

Shkreli | SF Gate Image

American Investor Martin Shkreli Accused Of Copying And Sharing One-Of-A-Kind Wu-Tang Clan Album

As of last month, the record was on its way to Australia’s Museum of Old and New Art, which announced that it would begin hosting private listening sessions this week showcasing chosen album tracks.

SOURCE – (AP)