BTS ‘SWIM’ Copyright Lawsuit Against HYBE Dropped by Songwriters Less than Four Months After Filing
The three songwriters dropped their legal claims regarding the billion-stream track after alleging it copied an unreleased demo, according to court filings mentioned by BIGHIT MUSIC.
- American songwriters Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler, and Greylyn Johnson withdrew their plagiarism lawsuit against BTS' chart-topping song "Swim" on Wednesday, after claiming the track copied their unreleased demo.
- The lawsuit, filed in July, targeted HYBE, HYBE America, BIGHIT MUSIC, and credited writers including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, alleging "substantial similarities" between the two recordings.
- BIGHIT MUSIC rejected the allegations as "unilateral and unsubstantiated," maintaining "Swim" was an independent creation while the track debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2026.
- Attorneys for the accusers requested the judge dismiss the case in its entirety on Wednesday, though it remains unclear whether the parties reached a settlement before the action was dropped.
- BTS recently celebrated ARIRANG surpassing five billion streams on Spotify, marking the group's first album release as a reunited seven-piece band following mandatory military service.
18 Articles
18 Articles
BTS lawsuit for ‘Swim’ takes shocking turn after copyright claims
BTS lawsuit for ‘Swim’ takes shocking turn after copyright claimsA legal challenge over BTS' chart-topping hit Swim has reached its conclusion.The lawsuit, which was launched in July against the group's label and several writers credited on the song, alleged the K-pop stars' comeback...
BTS' 'SWIM' plagiarism lawsuit: Case dropped by accusers four months after the case was filed in US court
In November, the accusers dropped their plagiarism lawsuit against BTS concerning the song 'SWIM.' The case, which sparked from claims by three songwriters about similarities to their unpublished demo, saw BTS's management firmly deny any wrongdoing, asserting the song's independent creation. The reason for discontinuing the lawsuit remains vague, with no updates on a possible settlement. This legal battle commenced in July and was resolved in u…
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