Martin Shkreli, infamous for his role in the pharmaceutical industry and widely known as “Pharma Bro,” is facing legal trouble once again, this time over the Wu-Tang Clan album “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.”
The 41-year-old investor is being sued by cryptocurrency collective PleasrDAO, which alleges that Shkreli illegally retained and shared digital copies of the unreleased, one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang project.
This lawsuit comes after Abe Beame’s recent listening experience of the album, which he detailed in a Complex article.
Shkreli originally purchased the sole existing copy of the album for a reported $2 million in 2015.
However, he later sold it on eBay for just over $1 million following his 2017 securities fraud conviction, forfeiting the proceeds. PleasrDAO asserts that Shkreli kept digital copies of Shaolin and may have intended to distribute them publicly.
According to the Associated Press, PleasrDAO acquired the physical copy of the album along with its digital rights through transactions in 2021 and 2024. Shkreli was allegedly responsible for erasing any traces of the files he retained.
The lawsuit, as detailed by Rob Freund, highlights instances where Shkreli hosted listening parties during livestreams on platforms like YouTube and Discord.
During one livestream in 2022, Shkreli purportedly admitted to making MP3 copies of the album, stating, “Of course I made MP3 copies, they’re like hidden in safes all around the world…I’m not stupid. I don’t buy something for $2 million dollars just so I can keep one copy.”
Furthermore, PleasrDAO claims that Shkreli appeared in a YouTube video last month, boasting about sending multiple copies of Shaolin to “50 different chicks” and alleging that “thousands” have listened to it. The company argues that Shkreli’s actions violated the forfeiture order, diminished the album’s value, and misused trade secrets.
In response, PleasrDAO seeks various forms of relief, including an injunction to prevent further misuse of the album, seizure or destruction of Shkreli’s retained copies, an account of any profits he may have derived from his actions, and compensation for the economic and reputational harm caused.
