Martin Shkreli is facing a $2 million lawsuit for allegedly copying and sharing the iconic one-of-one Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin. Shkreli was the first to buy the project but ended up forfeiting it following his fraud conviction. The current owner, PleasrDAO, has accused the infamous “Pharma Bro” of diminishing the value of the mysterious album by making a copy of it.
“The album was supposed to constitute the sole existing copy of the record, music, data and files and packaging,” PleasrDAO’s lawyers wrote in court documents obtained by AllHipHop. “It now appears, however, that Shkreli improperly retained copies of the data and files at the time of the forfeiture and has released and/or intends to release them to the public. Such actions would cause PleasrDAO to incur significant monetary and irreparable harm, and give rise to numerous claims for relief under the forfeiture order and common law.”
Martin Shkreli Leaves Court After Guilty Verdict For Securities Fraud
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 4: (L to R) Lead defense attorney Benjamin Brafman walks with former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli after the jury issued a verdict at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, August 4, 2017, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Shkreli was guilty on three of the eight counts involving securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
From there, they noted several instances of Shkreli allegedly bragging about copying the album. “By his own admission, Shkreli retained copies of the album’s data and files, played the album publicly on his ‘live stream’ and has sent it to at least 50 people,” PleasrDAO’s attorneys wrote. “His comments demonstrate that he is also willing to disseminate copies of the album’s data and files publicly, and that as many as ‘> 5,000 individuals’ may have already heard the album as a result of his actions. These actions occurred after he was ordered to forfeit his interests in the album. Shkreli therefore violated the Forfeiture Order’s provisions requiring Shkreli to forfeit his interests in the album and prohibiting him from taking any action that would reduce the album’s value.”
Shkreli first made headlines for purchasing the album back in 2015. Be on the lookout for further updates on Martin Shkreli and the Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album on HotNewHipHop.
About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor’s degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends.
On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni.
His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
