Why Diddy has to pay Sting an annual fortune for the rest of his life

The music industry moves vast amounts of money, and its history is dotted with numerous cases of plagiarism - both real and alleged. The most blatant? The one involving music superstars Sting and Sean Combs (aka Puff Daddy, P.Diddy or Diddy).

Perhaps the most famous plagiarism case in music history. For nearly thirty years, Sting has been awarded substantial compensation following a copyright infringement by controversial rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur Sean Combs.

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It was 1997 when Puff Daddy released the track 'I'll Be Missing You' as a tribute to Notorious B.I.G., using parts of the Police's song 'Every Breath You Take' without obtaining the necessary permissions.

Sting, the author of the song, did not take this well and filed a lawsuit against the rapper for copyright infringement.

And, apparently, the British songwriter won, as both he and Puff Daddy have confirmed on multiple occasions over the last two decades, recalling the incident and adding new details each time.

In 2003, for instance, Sting told Rolling Stone that he paid for his children's college with these earnings. Even so, he said he and Diddy stayed friends!

Recently, however, it has also emerged how much Puff Daddy has been paying since 1997 (and will pay for life) to the former Police frontman: a whopping $5,000 a day!

In response to a video posted by Black Millionaires where Sting claimed he had been receiving $2,000 a day since 1997, Puff Daddy clarified in a post on X (formerly Twitter): "Nope. 5K a day. Love to my brother OfficialSting!"

Image: diddy / X

So, if that figure is to be trusted, we are talking about nearly $2 million a year, approaching a total of $50 million over more than 25 years. The huge sum, however, does not intimidate the American rapper as he reportedly earned $90 million in 2022 alone, according to Forbes.

In 2019, the same magazine reported that Puff Daddy's net worth was approximately $740 million.

In short, what started as a gesture of affection for a friend has turned into the most expensive and endless fine of the century for Diddy. Sting and his children warmly thank him.

Meet Sting's talented child, Eliot Sumner