In a dramatic legal battle with a rare Wu‑Tang album at its center, the infamous “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli filed new claims accusing RZA of double‑selling rights to Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
According to Billboard, Shkreli has filed a countersuit accusing Wu‑Tang Clan’s RZA of improperly double‑selling rights to the group’s one‑of‑a‑kind album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
Shkreli’s filing, which pulls RZA into an ongoing dispute with PleasrDAO, claims RZA and producer Cilvaringz wrongfully transferred rights that Shkreli says were already contractually promised to him, the publication said.
Martin Shkreli leaves federal court in New York, Friday, Aug. 4, 2017. The former pharmaceutical CEO has been convicted on federal charges he deceived investors in a pair of failed hedge funds. A Brooklyn jury deliberated five days before finding Shkreli guilty on Friday on three of eight counts. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)AP
Billboard reports that PleasrDAO’s attorney dismissed the countersuit as another attempt by Shkreli to “distract and delay,” while Shkreli’s lawyer argued that the new claims reveal a more complex story behind the album’s ownership battle.
According to Billboard, the lawsuit centers on Shkreli’s assertion that Wu‑Tang oversold the album’s rights by “a total of 150%,” despite his 2015 purchase that allegedly granted him half the copyrights immediately and the remaining half decades later.
Billboard notes that PleasrDAO had previously sued Shkreli over threats to leak the rare album, which a federal judge recently said could qualify as a trade secret.
In response, the outlet said, Shkreli’s countersuit argues that PleasrDAO undermined its own trade‑secret claims by publicly sharing parts of the album, including through NFT sales.