Sting Sued by Police Bandmates Over Missing Royalties on “Every Breath You Take”
Looks like there’s some serious drama brewing between the former members of The Police. Sting is reportedly being sued by his old bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland over royalties tied to the group’s most famous hit, “Every Breath You Take.”
According to reports from the Los Angeles Times and other outlets, Summers and Copeland filed their lawsuit in London’s High Court, claiming they were never properly credited as songwriters and therefore missed out on massive royalty checks from the 1983 track. Sting — whose real name is Gordon Matthew Sumner — and his publishing company, Magnetic Publishing, are both listed as defendants.
“Every Breath You Take” wasn’t just another single for The Police. It became their biggest hit in the U.S., topping the Billboard Hot 100 and later winning two Grammys, including Song of the Year. Its popularity exploded again in 1997 when Puff Daddy (now known as Diddy) sampled Andy Summers’ famous guitar riff in “I’ll Be Missing You,” his tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. The track dominated the charts — and the royalties poured in.
In fact, in a now-viral 2023 interview, Diddy claimed he pays Sting $5,000 every single day for that sample, a statement he later walked back. Still, it shows just how valuable the song has been over the decades.
Sting made headlines again in 2022 when he sold his entire song catalog — from The Police classics like “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle,” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” to his solo work — to Universal Music Publishing Group. While the deal’s exact numbers weren’t made public, Billboard reported the catalog was bringing in about $12–13 million a year and was valued around $360 million.
For Summers and Copeland, who helped shape The Police’s unique sound with tight rhythms and innovative guitar work, that payday may sting (pun intended). The band split in the mid-’80s but reunited for a massive 2007–2008 world tour celebrating their 30th anniversary, suggesting old tensions had cooled — at least for a while.
Now, with a fresh lawsuit, those wounds appear reopened. Fans of the band, known for hits like “Walking on the Moon” and “King of Pain,” are buzzing on social media about whether Summers and Copeland are finally getting the recognition — and royalties — they believe they deserve.
Meanwhile, Sting is keeping busy. He’s set to perform at Brisbane’s QPAC Glasshouse Theatre next year, presenting his stage musical The Last Ship. But it looks like his next battle might not be on stage — it’ll be in court.
