The law is complex, it concerns the length of a piece used as a sample, but the general rule is, if you take it, you pay for it.
The Verve wouldn't get anything for 'Bittersweet Symphony' - in fact quite the opposite. The orchestral arrangement is taken from a symphonic version of The Stones' 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' recorded along with other songs by an orchestra, and released as an album.
Around the time music fans were holding up their hands in horror because the band had 'prostituted' their music by allowing Vauxhall to use it in a car ad., The Verve were being roundly sued by Mr Allan Klein, former manager of The Roling Stones, and legal owner of the rights to a large amount of their early work - including the song mentioned, and the orchestral version sampled.
Mr Kelin sued The Verve, as he was legally entitled to do, and won, and they forked over a massive share of sales and performance royalties bec ause they had sampled without permission.
Mr Klein then licensed the track to Vauxhall, and the Verve caught the flak for being uncool capiltalists, which they aren't, and weren't.
So, be careful if you sample something that is copyrighted, a lawyer will come looking, and you will get fleeced. You have been warned!