Martin Shkreli has been ordered to surrender his copies of the rare Wu-Tang Clan album ‘Once Upon A Time In Shaolin’.
According to ArtNet, a judge ordered Skhreli to overturn any copies he possesses within one week, passing the ruling on Friday morning (August 23). The judgement stems from digital art collective PleasrDAO’s suing of Shkreli for copying and playing the album without permission in June.
Judge Pamela Chen has also demanded Shkreli to provide an affidavit confirming his relinquishment, along with an inventory of all copies he had made, who he distributed them to, and any profits made from the distribution. Shkreli has been ordered to give this inventory to the judge within 30 days.
Shrekli’s attorney did not immediately respond to ArtNet‘s request for comment.
The former hedge fund manager and ‘pharma-bro’, who bought the sole copy of the record back in 205 for $2million (£1.4m), was sued for illegally livestreaming the album last June.
Shkreli purchased the album under the condition that the album could not be commercially exploited until 2103, though it could be played at listening parties. He went on to play clips of the album during a livestream in 2017 despite the restrictions, then attempted to sell the album on eBay.
Though the sale was never completed, Shkreli was then forced to hand over the album following his conviction for securities fraud, when $7.4million (£5.8m) worth of assets were seized by a federal court. The album is now in the hands of the digital art collective PleasrDAO.
