Sting’s Ex-Police Bandmates Sue Him Over Unpaid ‘Every Breath You Take’ Royalties

Sting’s former Police bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland are suing over missing royalties tied to “Every Breath You Take,” the Los Angeles Times and other sources report. 

In the suit, filed in London High Court, Summers and Copeland claim they were never properly credited as songwriters on “Every Breath You Take,” and have never received royalties for their writing contributions. While “Every Breath You Take” was a major hit in and of itself — it was the Police’s first and only Number One in the U.S. — it enjoyed an equally massive second life as the key sample on Puff Daddy and Faith Evans’ Notorious B.I.G. tribute “I’ll Be Missing You.” 

Both Sting (under his real name Gordon Matthew Sumner) and his publishing company, Magnetic Publishing, are listed as defendants in the suit. 

A rep for Sting did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment. Reps for Summers and Copeland did not return multiple requests for comment. 

The U.K. tabloid The Sun was first to report the lawsuit, followed by outlets like People, which noted a London High Court database listing the suit as “general commercial contracts and arrangements.”

A source told The Sun, “This has been coming for quite some time. 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.”

In 2022, Sting sold the rights to his songwriting catalog to Universal Music Group, with the deal covering both his solo hits and songs he penned for the Police. The deal was estimated to be worth $250 million.

From Rolling Stone US.