Sting is being sued by his former Police bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland who claim they were denied credit and royalties for the band's signature hit "Every Breath You Take," according to reports.
The lawsuit, filed in London's High Court, names Sting, born Gordon Matthew Sumner, and his publishing company, Magnetic Publishing, as defendants, according to the Los Angeles Times. Summers and Copeland argue they were excluded from songwriting credits and never received royalties for their contributions to the 1983 track, which went on to become the group's biggest commercial success.
"Every Breath You Take" spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, longer than any other single that year, and won two Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Billboard reported. Its reach extended into later decades, most notably when Summers' guitar riff was sampled on Puff Daddy and Faith Evans' 1997 hit "I'll Be Missing You."
In 2023, Puff Daddy claimed he paid Sting $5,000 a day for the rights to that sample, though he later revised the statement.
The dispute comes in the wake of Sting's 2022 deal to sell his entire catalog, including both Police and solo work, to Universal Music Publishing Group. Although financial terms were undisclosed, Billboard reported that Sting's publishing rights generated $12 million–$13 million annually and were expected to sell for around $360 million.
The Police achieved major success with chart-topping singles such as "Roxanne," "Message in a Bottle," and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Their 1983 album "Synchronicity" spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and in the U.K., they secured five consecutive No. 1 albums.
The trio disbanded in 1984 but later reunited for new recordings and a 2007–08 anniversary tour that ranked among the decade's highest-grossing concert runs.
Sting continues to tour and is scheduled next year to appear at Brisbane's QPAC Glasshouse Theatre, where he will present his stage musical "The Last Ship."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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