Summers Copeland sue Sting over streaming royalties London High Court

Former Police guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland have sued their former bandmate Sting in London High Court, alleging he failed to pay millions in royalties tied to the digital exploitation of the band's hits. Court documents and media reports published this week say the pair are seeking damages variously reported at about 1.5 million pounds and more than 2 million dollars for unpaid publishing and arranger fees for songs including Every Breath You Take and Roxanne.

Summers and Copeland say the dispute stems from a long‑standing practice the three musicians reached when the Police formed in 1977. Court papers state the band made a verbal agreement to share 15 percent of publishing income from songs written by any one member, an arrangement the pair say was put into writing in 1981 and revised in 1997. The present lawsuit centers on what Summers and Copeland describe as unpaid arranger fees from income generated by online sales and streaming, which they say have not been paid in line with those earlier agreements.

Sting, born Gordon Sumner, denies the claims. His lawyers say existing agreements have been honoured, that the parties signed a further revision in...