Sting is facing a lawsuit from his former Police bandmates, who claim they were cut out of the songwriting credits and royalties for the chart-topping 1983 hit "Every Breath You Take." Andy Summers' and Stewart Copeland's lawsuit, filed in London's High Court, alleges that the guitarist and drummer contributed to the track but never saw any money for their writing contributions, the Guardian reports. Sting, credited under his legal name Gordon Matthew Sumner, and his company Magnetic Publishing Ltd. are listed as defendants.
The Police, formed in 1977, rode "Every Breath You Take" to the top of the US charts and watched it become the best-selling American single of 1983. The track's legacy grew after it was sampled in P. Diddy's and Faith Evans' 1997 tribute to Notorious B.I.G., "I'll Be Missing You." The Police racked up other hits before going their separate ways in 1984. "This has been coming for quite some time. Lawyers tried repeatedly to reach an out-of-court settlement but hit a stalemate," a source tells the Sun of the lawsuit. "Andy and Stewart decided there was no alternative than court so pressed the button. They say they are owed millions in lost royalties."
A spokesperson for the 73-year-old Sting denied the case was about "Every Breath You Take" but didn't offer further details. The suit is categorized under "general commercial contracts and arrangements." Despite their breakup, the band has occasionally regrouped. Still, Sting has distanced himself from full-blown reunions, saying he values the artistic freedom of solo work.
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Sting recently joined the parade of music legends cashing in on their catalogs, selling his own to Universal in 2022 for a reported $300 million. That put him in company with Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie's estate, and Bob Dylan, all of whom have signed nine-figure deals in recent years.
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