Martin Shkreli, proud owner of the $2 million Wu-Tang Clan album, is now fighting a legal battle over copyright infringement.
The battle started after the Wu-Tang Clan concocted the now-infamous plan to create one single copy of their album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin and sell it off the highest bidder.
In order to offer the 31-track album the Wu-Tang Clan chose Paddle8, an online marketplace that presents auctions for collector items and one-off pieces of art. Martin Shkreli offered the best bid of $2 million and subsequently became the owner of the album.
The sale gained massive media coverage, though it quickly became apparent that artwork created by New York artist Jason Koza was used in the 174-page book which was packed alongside the album. Koza claimed permission was not given to use these art works: instead, Koza said his artwork could be used on the website only, but did not grant a license for further use.
As a result, Koza has now filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in the Manhattan federal court, filing for damages from Shkreli, Paddle8, and Wu-Tang Clan affiliated music producer, Tarik “Cilvaringz” Azzougarh.
Martin Shkreli has now fired back asking a New York federal court to cut him out of the suit, arguing he did not directly infringe the images. Shkreli is merely a buyer, and doesn’t bear responsibility for contents he assumed were covered. Furthermore, Shkreli didn’t directly copy the images or display them publicly, or conduct in any activity that constitutes direct copyright infringement.
His other actions and public statements have garnered widespread hatred, but that doesn’t mean Shkreli has infringed. It may just mean he’s a target.
The case continues…
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