The suit is over royalties for “Every Breath You Take”
Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland are suing their former Police bandmate, Sting, for what they allege are millions of pounds in lost royalties for their 1983 hit, “Every Breath You Take.” The lawsuit, filed in London’s High Court, claims Sting (real name Gordon Sumner) is the sole credited songwriter on the track and reportedly earns a substantial income from its royalties, estimated to be over $750k per year. Summers and Copeland accuse Sumner of denying them co-writing credits and not paying them their share of earned royalties.
Sting once said that he wrote the song while in Jamaica, reportedly at the former home of James Bond author Ian Fleming. He has said that the words came to him in the middle of the night, and he wrote the song in about half an hour.
Summers has publicly stated that the song was not a completed piece when Sting brought it to the studio. He argues that his distinctive guitar riff was crucial to the song’s identity and success. Copeland’s contribution to the arrangement is also cited as being integral. The lawsuit suggests that, by modern standards of songwriting credits, their contributions would warrant a share of the royalties.
The legal action is the culmination of a long-simmering dispute. Sources close to the situation have indicated that lawyers for both sides tried for years to reach an out-of-court settlement but were unable to resolve the matter.
The lawsuit names Sumner and his company, Magnetic Publishing Limited, as defendants.
While a spokesperson for Sting has reportedly denied that the lawsuit is related to “Every Breath You Take,” they have not offered further details.
“Every Breath You Take” was a massive success, becoming the best-selling single of 1983 and topping charts worldwide. It has since been recognized by BMI as the most-played song in radio history.
In 1997, Sean “Diddy” Combs (then known as Puff Daddy) released the song “I’ll Be Missing You” as a tribute to his late friend and fellow rapper, The Notorious B.I.G. The song sampled “Every Breath You Take” without permission, causing Sting to sue the rapper for copyright infringement and winning 100% of the royalties from “I’ll Be Missing You.”
Diddy has stated that he pays Sting a substantial amount per day in royalties for using the sample. The exact amount has been debated, with Diddy at one point tweeting that he pays $5,000 a day, clarifying an earlier statement from Sting that the amount was $2,000 a day.
