'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli Boasted of Making Copies of Wu-Tang's Album. A Judge Just Ordered Him to Surrender Them. Shkreli famously purchased the only copy of "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" directly from Wu-Tang Clan for $2 million in 2015.
By Erin Davis
Key Takeaways
- Shkreli became rich after price-gouging the life-saving drug Darprim in 2015 and earned the nickname "Pharma Bro."
- He bought the album that same year.
- The album's true duplication status is uncertain, despite Shkreli's claims of copying and distributing it.
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"Pharma bro" Martin Shkreli has been ordered by a federal judge in Brooklyn to relinquish any copies of the Wu-Tang Clan's one-of-a-kind album, "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," Artnet first reported.
Shkreli notoriously purchased the one-in-existence album from the iconic Staten Island rappers, Wu-Tang Clan, for $2 million in 2015. One of the stipulations Shkreli was bound to when he purchased the album was that he couldn't reproduce it for at least 88 years, per copyright law.
After Shkreli was convicted of securities fraud in 2018, the album was sold by the U.S. government to PleasrDAO, a collective specializing in NFTs, in 2021 for $4.75 million.
Related: 'The Most Hated Man in America' Where Is Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Now?
PleasrDAO sued Shkreli in June after alleging that he had been boasting online about sending copies of the album in CD format to various women. The purchase agreement, however, banned its reproduction, which makes this a violation — if copies exist.
"Earlier today, the United States sold the sole copy of the Wu-Tang Clan album 'Once Upon a Time in Shaolin'" ... forfeited by Martin Shkreli.
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) July 27, 2021
Photo of the album here. pic.twitter.com/fHcCjNuq88
According to the judge, Shkreli must submit a detailed report of what copies were made, when, and to whom, including financial gains and identities of recipients, by September, as cited by PleasrDAO's legal counsel Steven Cooper.
Still, despite Shkreli's online boasts, including a livestream, where he hinted at hidden MP3 copies worldwide, no tangible proof of these mythical copies has surfaced.
Related: Judge Permanently Bans 'Chaotic' and 'Untrustworthy' Martin Shkreli From Running Public Companies
