The BBC has reported today that former members of rock band The Police have had a development in proceedings over songwriting credits, with claims concerning songs written nearly 50 years ago. Frontman Sting has been caught in a legal battle with his former partners about overdue royalties, with court documents showing he made payments in excess of £500,000.
Singer and bassist Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, formed The Police in London in 1977 with American drummer Stewart Copeland. The final line-up of the band was completed with guitarist Andy Summers joining. They performed as a three-piece for their full catalogue of 5 studio albums, before going on hiatus in 1984, and fully splitting in 1986. Citing personal differences for the rift, Summers and Copeland went on to have successes in other pursuits, while Sting went on to become a British icon through his solo works.
As the lead songwriter for The Police, Sting took his gifts and went on to win masses of accolades, including three BRIT Awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, he pursued acting roles, appearing in films such as David Lynch’s ‘Dune’ adaptation, and Guy Ritchie’s ‘Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels’.
It is Sting’s prolific talent as a songwriter and composer that has led to the ongoing legal discourse. Since starting their careers together in 1977 and writing their first singles, almost everything was credited solely to Sting. 1978 debut album ‘Outlandos d’Amour’, which yielded hit ‘Roxanne’ only lists Summers and Copeland as co-writers on one song apiece. Later standouts like 1983’s ‘Every Breath You Take’, which was number one in multiple countries, does not list Summers as a writer, despite him claiming to have composed the guitar parts for it.
To ensure fairness, the three of them made a verbal agreement in 1977 to share earnings from their music, but this was not made legally binding until revised contracts later in their careers. The agreement dictated that whenever one member received royalties from a song they had written, they would give each of the other two members 15% of the income on average. This deal typically resulted in Sting giving a share to Summers and Copeland, who were reliant on him to pay up.
In September 2025, both Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers began legal proceedings against Sting to reclaim lost royalties across all their music from 1977 to 1984. In the claim, Sting is alleged to owe money earned through public plays, music streaming and digital sales, but his legal team contests this with the assertion that the band’s agreement only covered physical sales. The band made a new compromise in 2016 on how to handle payments, with a consensus that the three of them would not pursue legal recompense for any past or future issues. The team representing Copeland and Summers state that due to the evolution of streaming and music consumption, they are entitled to a bigger cut than they’ve received.
The initial lawsuit set out to recover estimated losses of £1.5 million, but according to court papers seen today, Sting and his representatives have paid $870,000 (£647,000). With the second day of the preliminary hearing taking place tomorrow, neither side seems to be ceding ground. The side of Copeland and Summers are disappointed that the recent payment doesn’t cover what they call “historic underpayment”, while Sting’s lawyers continue to argue that streaming plays do not count for their existing arrangements.
