Overview
- Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland claim they are owed more than $2 million in unpaid royalties, which Sting disputes in the London case.
- Court filings state Sting and his company Magnetic Publishing have paid roughly $800,000 (£595,000–£647,000) as admitted historic underpayments since the suit was filed.
- The central question is whether streaming counts as mechanical income or performance revenue, which would decide if the arranger’s fee applies.
- Sting’s legal team points to a 2016 agreement limiting payments to mechanical income from the manufacture of records, while the plaintiffs argue for a share of all publishing income.
- A two-day preliminary hearing opened before Mr Justice Bright, with a full trial expected at a later date and none of the band members present in court.