Overview
- Proceedings opened in London this week as Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland pursue roughly $2 million in streaming royalties from Police songs.
- Summers and Copeland cite a 1977 oral deal, later formalized in 1981 and reaffirmed in 1997, that granted each member 15% of royalties from another member’s compositions.
- Sting disputes any additional payments, with his legal team pointing to a 2016 agreement they say applies to physical formats rather than streaming.
- BBC reporting says Sting has already paid more than $800,000 since legal action began, and lawyers for the plaintiffs told the court their claim could rise if amendments are allowed.
- None of the former bandmates attended the opening session, and coverage notes Sting’s 2022 sale of his songwriting catalog to Universal for about $250 million.