British singer Sting has been sued by his former bandmates from the famed band The Police for alleged lost royalties in a figure considered “in the millions”, tabloid ‘The Sun’ reported.
Gordon Sumner, his real name, 73, has received legal action from guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland, with whom he performed in the renowned London trio for nearly a decade, claiming years of allegedly unpaid royalties.
According to the British media, which cites sources close to the process, this is a situation that “has been brewing for years” and stems from the lack of an out-of-court settlement that was attempted to be reached “repeatedly”.
The Police vs. Sting lawsuit
Due to the stalled negotiations, Summers and Copeland decided to go to the Contracts and General Commercial Agreements Division of the High Court of England and Wales, from where they are claiming “millions in lost royalties” from both the singer himself and his company, Magnetic Publishing Limited.
The Police trio began in 1977 and the group remained together until 1986, during which time they sold more than 75 million records, before reuniting in 2007 for a single world tour that ended in 2008.
‘The Sun’ puts the weekly royalties Sting receives for the single ‘Every breath you take’, the best-selling single of 1983 and the fifth most consumed of that decade, at more than 500,000 pounds (578,500 euros) a week, while Summers and Copeland receive nothing as they do not receive songwriting credits.
A spokesman for Sting denied to the tabloid that the legal action was related to this song.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
