Sting Sued by the Rest of The Police for "Every Breath You Take" Royalties

"Sting is listed as a defendant under his real name, Gordon Matthew Sumner, alongside his company Magnetic Publishing Limited. Via and The Daily Mail, he makes £550,000, or about $740,000, from "Every Breath You Take" royalties each year. The song credits only one composer and lyricist, Sting, with Copeland and Summers alleging that they've been cheated out of millions of dollars of royalties because they did not receive co-writing credits on the song."

""Every Breath You Take" was released in 1983, becoming the best-selling song of that year and the fifth-highest selling track of the 1980s. One person told , "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.""

Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers have sued Gordon Matthew Sumner (Sting) and Magnetic Publishing Limited seeking lost royalties for "Every Breath You Take." Sting receives about £550,000 (roughly $740,000) annually from that song's royalties. The song credits only Sting as composer and lyricist, and Copeland and Summers allege they were cheated out of millions because they did not receive co-writing credits. "Every Breath You Take" was released in 1983, became the best-selling song of that year and the fifth-highest selling track of the 1980s. Out-of-court settlement attempts stalled, prompting the lawsuit. Earlier in the year Sting and Summers collaborated on a new version of "Murder by Numbers."

Read at Consequence