Overview
- Court filings say Sting has transferred more than $800,000 (around £595,000–£647,000) to Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland as admitted historic underpayments.
- Summers and Copeland argue a longstanding 15% arranger's fee applies to digital revenue and are seeking permission to widen their case to include downloads and streaming, taking the claim to not less than £8m.
- Sting’s team maintains the 2016 deal limits payments to mechanical income from the manufacture of records and classifies streaming as public performance, which would not trigger the fee.
- The plaintiffs cite a 1977 oral pact, later reflected in 1981, 1997 and 2016 agreements, as the basis for sharing publishing income from Police songs written by Sting.
- None of the musicians attended the two-day London hearing, which is set to conclude today, and a full trial is expected to follow.