More Details Emerge in the Sting vs Copeland/Summers Lawsuit

It was recently revealed that The Police drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers are suing vocalist-bassist Sting for unpaid royalties. Now, more details about the case have emerged.

The suit:

• As per Complete Music Update, the dispute centers on a 1970s agreement about the distribution of publishing income generated by The Police’s songs.

• Copeland and Summers allege that Sting, AKA Gordon Sumner, incorrectly interpreted the agreement.

• As per the BBC, Sting believes he only has to share mechanical rights income. His bandmates say the royalty share agreement also applies to performing rights income.

• Mechanical royalties are paid to songwriters and artists when physical copies of music are sold (ie. CDs and vinyl), and when music is streamed on demand.

• Performance royalties are paid when music is performed publicly, be it on radio, in a restaurant or bar, or on streaming services like Spotify.

The initial agreement:

• The oral agreement stated that the band member who wrote the song would share a portion of the publishing income with the other band members, usually about 15%. This was put into writing in 1981 and apparently revised in 1995 and again in 2016.

• Though both Copeland and Stewart wrote songs that appeared on The Police’s albums, Sting wrote their biggest hits, including “Every Breath You Take.”

• Less clear, and the reason for the latest dispute, is what publishing income the agreement applied to: solely mechanical rights income, or did it also cover performing rights?

Damages:

• Summers and Copeland claim to be owed £1.5 million.

• Sting’s lawyer claims the duo have been overpaid, and that they owe Sting money.