An album, a convicted fraudster, a crypto collective and millions of dollars: “Once Upon A Time In Shaolin” is both an art object and a legal dispute magnet.
Former pharmaceutical CEO Martin Shkreli is suing RZA and Wu-Tang producer Cilvaringz. He accuses them of improperly selling the rights to the “Once Upon A Time In Shaolin” album twice. Shkreli argues that since the purchase in 2015 he has had certain copyright and exploitation rights, which have not been completely extinguished by the subsequent state confiscation. Agreements that RZA later made with the current owner PleasrDAO are therefore partially invalid.
In a newly disclosed court filing, Shkreli claims his deal to purchase RZA and Cilvaringz’s Wu-Tang album in 2015 immediately gave him 50 percent of the copyright. The other half would not be transferred to him until 88 years later. Instead, RZA and Cilvaringz allegedly sold a total of 150 percent of the rights.
“On a date 88 years after the closing of the Agreement, Wu-Tang Defendants will be required to assign the remaining 50 percent of the copyright to Shkreli,” Shkreli’s lawyers wrote. “Now PleasrDAO has claimed that it purchased this same stake from the Wu-Tang defendants.”
This means that a conflict that has been simmering for years over one of the most unusual albums in music history has reached a new level of escalation. At its core is the question of what rights actually come with ownership of the album and whether these were legally transferred after Shkreli’s conviction.
The idea of making music rare again
Between 2006 and 2013, RZA and Cilvaringz recorded a double album with almost all members of the Wu-Tang Clan, which was deliberately designed as a unique art object. Instead of relying on release or streaming, only one copy exists, physically sealed in an artfully crafted metal box.
Contracts stipulate that the album cannot be released commercially for 88 years (until the year 2103). RZA saw the project as a reaction to the devaluation of music in the digital age.
When the work of art changed hands
In 2015, Shkreli bought the unique piece at auction for around two million US dollars. The purchase caused outrage around the world. The CEO at the time repeatedly used the property as a provocation: he played excerpts in live streams, threatened publication and moved in a gray area between private ownership and public exploitation.
In 2017, Shkreli was sentenced to seven years in prison for securities fraud. As part of the ruling, a US federal court ordered the confiscation of his assets, including the Wu-Tang album.
The crypto collective PleasrDAO took over the rights to the LP for around four million US dollars. The collective sees the album as a cultural asset that should remain protected but accessible at the same time. The first excerpts have already been heard in museum exhibitions, while a website for digital access is in the starting blocks.
Rumors, copies and new lawsuit
PleasrDAO has already sued Shkreli for allegedly making or sharing illegal copies of the album. A court ordered him to hand over all copies and reveal who he gave access to.
With the new lawsuit against RZA, Shkreli is now questioning the legality of subsequent contracts and speaks of an “oversale” of rights. Three parties – Shkreli, RZA/Cilvaringz and PleasrDAO – are fighting over ownership, copyrights and contract interpretation.
Meanwhile, the album remains almost unheard in its metal box, in the middle of a web of lawyers, court documents and cultural symbolism.
