Two of Sting’s former Police bandmates have sued the rock musician over missing royalties from the song Every Breath You Take.
Andy Summers, 82, and Stewart Copeland, 73, claim they were never properly credited as songwriters on the song in 1983 and didn’t receive royalties for their writing by Sting, 73. The suit was filed in London High Court, The Sun and People reported.
The Police formed in 1977 and disbanded in the 1980s after producing five albums and selling 75 million records worldwide. Band members reunited for one-night reunions and participated in a reunion world tour from 2007 to 2008.
The song was the only No. 1 song by The Police in the United States but was the fifth-best-selling of the 1980s. Puff Daddy, also known as Diddy, sampled the song on I’ll Be Missing You in 1997 without The Police’s permission, and, after a lawsuit, Sting was granted 100% of the song’s royalties.
Named as defendants were Sting, whose real name is Gordon Matthew Sumner, and his publishing company, Magnetic Publishing.
“This has been coming for quite some time,” a source told The Sun. “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 pressed the button. They say they are owed millions in lost royalties.”
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Author: Dillon B
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