February 4, 2026
PleasrDAO is suing Martin Shkreli after he allegedly distributed copies of the Wu-Tang Album, ‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’ without permission
The legal drama surrounding the one-copy album of Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin has turned another corner, as Martin Shkreli has just sued RZA, the project’s producer.
According to Billboard, the convicted former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli responded to a lawsuit filed by PleasrDAO by naming the producer, Robert Diggs, and blaming RZA for allegedly double-selling the album’s rights. The company, which currently owns the album, filed a lawsuit against Shkreli, alleging that he kept unauthorized copies and distributed them without the company’s permission.
Shkreli stated that the dispute is partly RZA’s fault because he and Wu-Tang producer Cilvaringz (Tarik Azzougarh) improperly sold part of the copyright to Pleasr, even though those same rights were contractually promised to him.
“An immediate, real and justiciable controversy exists between Shkreli, PleasrDAO, and the Wu-Tang defendants with respect to the ownership of this future interest,” Shkreli’s lawyers stated in the suit, calling it a “duplicate sale.”
However, PleasrDAO’s attorney, Steven Cooper, criticized the response and provided a statement to the media outlet.
“Mr. Shkreli’s approach throughout has been to distract and delay with actions that the Court has consistently and strenuously rejected. These counterclaims will meet the same fate.”
PleasrDAO accused Shkreli of misappropriating Once Upon a Time in Shaolin after the convicted felon allegedly admitted on livestreams two years ago that he had made copies of the rare Wu-Tang Clan offering and played the album for his followers. The company is seeking unspecified damages and profits and requesting that Shkreli return the copies of the album he allegedly possesses.
In 2015, Shkreli purchased the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album at an auction for $2 million. In 2017, he was arrested and convicted of securities fraud. The government seized the album and other property he owned. In 2021, PleasrDAO reportedly bought the album from the government for $4 million.
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