The Martin Shkreli and Wu-Tang Clan drama continues to get stranger by the day, as now both Shkreli and Wu-Tang defacto leader RZA are being sued by a Long Island artist for copyright infringement. According to the New York Daily News, Jason Koza is suing RZA and Shkreli because the group included a few of his illustrations in a leather booklet that accompanies the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang album, Once Upon a Time In Shaolin, without his permission.
Shkreli, who bought the lone copy of the album for $2 million, showed off the booklet during a recent video interview with Vice, which is how Koza saw that some of his work was included with the album. Koza's lawyer told the NYDN that his client was obviously flattered by the inclusion of his art with the album, but that they didn't have permission to use it. In 2014, Wu-affiliate Cilvaringz reportedly reached out to Koza regarding the album, but they never talked after that, and no agreement to use the drawings was worked out. Cilvaringz and auction site Paddle8 are also named in the lawsuit.
The sketches were originally posted on a Wu-Tang fan blog, Wu-Tang Clan Disciples, but Koza didn't intend for them to show up anywhere else. Koza is seeking unspecified damages in the case, and if he wins, the booklet could be taken from Shkreli, or even destroyed. We'll continue to update this story as more details become available.
