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Sting has paid £595,000 to his erstwhile The Police bandmates since facing ineligible enactment implicit unpaid royalties, the High Court has heard.
Drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andrew Summers contend they are owed much than $2m (£1.49m) successful "arranger's fees" by bassist Sting and his institution Magnetic Publishing.
Their barrister claimed that arranger's fees - an statement wherever a songwriter would springiness 15% of publishing income to the different 2 bandmates - had not been paid from wealth generated done streaming, according to tribunal documents filed successful December 2024.
Their lawsuit hinges connected the mentation of assorted agreements made betwixt the band's enactment successful the precocious 1970s and 2016.
But Robert Howe KC, for Sting, said successful written submissions for a preliminary proceeding astatine the High Court connected Wednesday that the statement does not use to streaming and should lone use to carnal products specified arsenic vinyl and cassettes.
He besides said Sting, whose existent sanction is Gordon Sumner, has paid much than $800,000 (£595,000) successful "certain admitted historical underpayments" since ineligible enactment was launched successful precocious 2024.
Mr Howe explained that the musicians couldn't hold connected however the phrases "mechanical income" and "public show fees" use to streaming, which continues to make important income.
The barrister highlighted a "professionally drafted" statement successful 2016, which helium said states that Sting and his publishing institution lone beryllium wealth connected mechanical income "from the manufacture of records".
Meanwhile, Ian Mill KC, representing Mr Copeland and Mr Summers and their companies, Megalo Music, Kent Foundation Laboratories and Kinetic Kollections, said the agreements spell backmost to 1977.
He added that the set - with hits including Every Breath You Take, Roxanne and Message In A Bottle - agreed connected the 15% fig earlier formalising it successful written contracts later.
In the upcoming trial, the contented to beryllium determined was "whether the parties person accounted to each different for arranger's fees correctly successful accordance with the presumption of the 2016 colony agreement", Mr Mill said.
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In the tribunal documents Mr Mills filed successful 2024, Mr Mills said Mr Copeland and Mr Summers judge the 2016 statement means they are entitled to a stock of wealth "from each publishing income derived from each mode of commercialized exploitation".
The preliminary proceeding is acceptable to reason connected Thursday, with the proceedings expected astatine a aboriginal date.
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