A federal judge in Brooklyn has temporarily ordered Martin Shkreli, known as the “pharma bro,” to stop playing copies of the unique Wu-Tang Clan album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.” This decision came after the album’s current owners, a crypto collective called PleasrDAO, sued Shkreli on Tuesday.
PleasrDAO and Shkreli will meet in court later this month to discuss the lawsuit. The lawsuit claims that Shkreli violated a federal court ruling by keeping copies of the album he used to own and playing it online.
Until the hearing, Shkreli is banned from “using, sharing, streaming, or selling any parts of the album, including its data and files,” according to U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen’s ruling on Tuesday evening.
The story of the Wu-Tang Clan’s unique, secretly recorded “Shaolin” album started in 2015 when Shkreli, then a controversial pharmaceutical executive, bought the only existing copy for about $2 million. The album came with the condition that it couldn’t be commercially exploited until 2103.
PleasrDAO is suing Martin Shkreli, saying that his livestream of their unique Wu-Tang Clan album caused a lot of trouble.
PleasrDAO, a group that collects digital and physical art, shares ownership with its members, and donates to charity, is suing ‘pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli. They filed the lawsuit because Shkreli hosted an X spaces event on June 9 and supposedly livestreamed a unique Wu-Tang Clan album that PleasrDAO bought in 2021 to people in the virtual meeting.
PleasrDAO is accusing Martin Shkreli of causing serious damage, saying it led to “significant monetary and irreparable harm.” They claim in their complaint:
“The Album was supposed to be the only existing copy of the record, music, data, files, and packaging. However, it seems Shkreli kept copies of the data and files when the album was taken from him and has either released them or plans to release them to the public.”
They added: “Such actions would cause PleasrDAO significant monetary and irreparable harm and lead to various legal claims under the forfeiture order and common law.”
Shkreli responded by saying the lawsuit isn’t supported by PleasrDAO members and they weren’t given a chance to vote on it.
In 2021, PleasrDAO bought the Wu-Tang album, “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin,” from a government auction for about $4.75 million in two payments. Wu-Tang made the album to push back against the digitization and commercialization of music, aiming to treat music as high art instead of just a mass-produced product.
Shkreli previously owned the album, paying $2 million for it. It was one of his most prized possessions, and in a 2016 interview with Vice, he played a bit of the gold-embossed two-disc album and talked about its future. But in 2018, after being convicted of securities fraud, Shkreli had to give up the album to the authorities.
The End of the Case
After Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud in 2018, the Department of Justice took the album and sold it to PleasrDAO in 2021 for $4 million.
Since then, Shkreli has repeatedly claimed online that he kept copies of the album and played it for audiences. PleasrDAO says this violates the forfeiture order Shkreli signed at the end of his criminal trial.
“Martin has been disrespecting this work of art for years,” said Leighton Cusack, one of the founders of PleasrDAO, in an interview with Decrypt. “We filed this lawsuit as a last resort to honor the original artists’ intention that this work of art would remain sacred.”
Editor: Lydicius
