Ex-Police Bandmates Take Sting to Court Over Millions in Missing Royalties

Two former members of The Police filed a lawsuit against Sting at London's High Court. Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland want their share of the missing royalty money. They say that they never received royalties for writing hit songs. The papers reached the court on August 24. Lawyers attempted to settle out of court, but they hit a stalemate.

Court records list the case under general contracts and commercial arrangements. The papers name Gordon Matthew Sumner, Sting's birth name, and his firm, Magnetic Publishing Limited, as the ones being sued. The lawsuit involves millions of pounds.

Starting in London in 1977, the band shot to fame fast. They sold 75 million records before splitting up in the mid-1980s. Their streak of success included four No. 1 UK albums, starting with Reggatta De Blanc.

Just one song, 1983's "Every Breath You Take," puts £550,000 in Sting's pocket each year, according to The Daily Mail. This hit ranks fifth among all songs from the 1980s. However, Summers and Copeland didn't receive credit for writing it.

When asked about the case, Sting's team said it's not about "Every Breath You Take." They stayed quiet on other details. The other two musicians' representatives haven't commented.

In 2007, the artists played together one last time. The tour stretched across 151 shows worldwide. "At the time, I labelled the tour an exercise in nostalgia. That was simply how I felt and is still how I feel today," Sting said in an interview with Reader's Digest, according to Female First. He added, "Music, in every form, is a collaborative process, but never more so than in a band, where you have to consider other people almost more than you do yourself. To have total career freedom is, for me, the ultimate thrill of being a solo artist."