The Wu-Tang Clan’s secretive album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, is the unicorn of recorded albums—everyone has heard of it, but only few have listened. Recently, this elusive album was at the center of a novel decision in New York federal court. PleasrDAO v. Shkreli, No. 24-CV-4126 (PKC) (MMH), 2025 WL 2733345, (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 25, 2025). On September 25, 2025, in evaluating the legal sufficiency of PleasrDAO’s argument, and whether a jury could reasonably find a trade secret violation, the court concluded that the album could qualify as a trade secret protected under the trade secret doctrine. Id.; (Aislinn Keely, Law360). This holding wades into uncharted territory and opens the door to further trade secret protections of traditionally unprotected art forms. (Aislinn Keely, Law360); (Jennifer Klausner, Davis+Gilbert). This post explores the case surrounding the uniqueness of the Wu-Tang Clan album and the implications the decision can have for other creatives.

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