Sting is reportedly being sued by his former Police bandmates, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland, over lost royalties from the trio's mega-hit Every Breath You Take.
The lawsuit was first reported by The Sun, with People confirming that the London High Court's database lists the documents as “general commercial contracts and arrangements.”
According to a source cited by The Sun, Copeland and Summers lodged their claim for “substantial” damages, following years of legal disputes.
“This has been coming for quite some time. Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate. Andy and Stewart decided there was no alternative than court, so [they] pressed the button,” the source allegedly states. “They say they are owed millions in lost royalties.”
Sting is appearing as a defendant under his real name, Gordon Matthew Sumner, while his firm, Magnetic Publishing Limited, is also listed.
As per The Daily Mail, Sting is believed to earn around £550,000 [$738,628] a year in royalties for that single alone, while PRS for Music records show that only Sting (under his full name, Gordon Matthew Sumner) is registered as the sole composer and author of the track.
Speaking to Guitarist in 2022, Police guitarist Summers talked about the song's now-iconic riff, which “has become a kind of immortal guitar part that all guitar players have to learn.”
“Well, I didn’t stand there and crow about it. It was more about keeping those other bastards happy,” the guitarist said matter-of-factly.
“That song was going to be thrown out. Sting and Stewart could not agree on how the bass and drums were going to go. We were in the middle of Synchronicity and Sting says, ‘Well, go on then, go in there and make it your own.’
“And I did it in one take. They all stood up and clapped. And, of course, the fucking thing went right round the world, straight to No. 1 in America.”
In more recent news, Sting guitarist Dominic Miller, who has accompanied the Police frontman and bassist since 1991’s The Soul Cages, revealed that he finds everything in the Police’s catalog “playable,” but named the band’s most challenging song to nail.
