Buckle up, music lovers, because the legendary story of the Wu-Tang Clan’s one and only album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin just took another dramatic twist! Remember when infamous "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli snagged that exclusive copy for a cool $1.5 million in 2015? Well, he's back with a new courtroom fight that's juicier than ever!
This week, Shkreli dropped a bombshell with his counter-lawsuit, claiming he's still the rightful co-owner of the album’s copyrights, even though the feds auctioned off the treasure to PleasrDAO for a jaw-dropping $4 million in 2021. Yep, you heard that right! The man who's been shrouded in controversy after drastically hiking the price of a life-saving drug is back, stirring up a storm!
Shkreli’s latest move? He’s demanding the court declare him as the copyright co-owner, arguing that RZA and producer Cilvaringz (the masterminds behind the album) wrongly pulled a sneaky on him by reclaiming and reselling the rights. Fans of Wu-Tang, it’s a legal whirlwind of epic proportions!
Here's the scoop: Shkreli says he bought those precious two discs in an engraved box, backed by a sparkly gold certificate and a fancy leather manuscript. But the deal, according to Shkreli, promised him more than just the physical goodies—it included behind-the-scenes rights to half the copyrights immediately, and the remainder promised for the future in 2103.
But hold up! PleasrDAO had lodged a complaint first in June 2024, claiming Shkreli was hanging onto secret copies of the tunes that should have been fully handed over after his securities fraud conviction punishment. Shkreli counters with his own story, throwing a wrench in what PleasrDAO had planned around keeping this music exclusive.
In a nail-biting decision, a judge will allow PleasrDAO’s case to head toward trial, after initial hurdles over the album's coveted status as a “trade secret.” Shkreli is hitting back, demanding the album drop its mysterious cloak and be declared free from such legal chains.
As the drama unfolds, PleasrDAO’s top lawyer, Steven Cooper, isn't buying Shkreli’s latest plot twist. He labels it a pack of distractions, no match for the court’s past rulings against Shkreli’s tactics in an epic battle that’s shaking up the music and legal worlds!
Young fans, keep your eyes glued to this ongoing saga, where legendary hip-hop history and legal showdowns collide in the most unexpected ways. With fierce statements and court showdowns galore, what’s next in this mind-bending story of music, money, and rights? Stay tuned to every beat of this thrilling tale!