BTS SWIM Lawsuit: HYBE and BigHit Music Face U.S. Copyright Claim Over Unpublished Demo

Three U.S.-based songwriters have filed a U.S. copyright complaint over BTS’s “SWIM,” bringing the BTS SWIM lawsuit into federal court as a dispute over alleged similarity to an unpublished demo. BigHit Music has denied the plagiarism allegation and said it plans to respond through legal proceedings. ¹

The complaint was filed on July 8, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson, who allege that BTS’s “SWIM” copied a demo with the same title. ² The filing names HYBE Co., HYBE America, HYBE Music Services, Big Hit Music, Artist Publishing Group and several credited “SWIM” songwriters as defendants. ³

BTS SWIM Lawsuit Centers on Demo Allegation

BTS SWIM 표절 소송 Seoul music copyright dispute concept

The plaintiffs say they completed a demo titled “SWIM” in March 2025 and allege that the demo was shared with music-industry contacts before BTS’s album work and the March 2026 release of the BTS track. ³ The complaint asserts copyright infringement and requests an accounting, damages and other relief. ³

Music Business Worldwide reported that the songwriters are seeking an injunction, damages, profits or co-writing credit. ² The same report described BTS’s “SWIM” as the lead single from “Arirang” and noted that RM and Pdogg are credited writers on the BTS track but are not named as defendants. ²

Yonhap News Agency reported that the three songwriters claim substantial similarity between BTS’s “SWIM” and their own demo, citing the complaint and a July 9 Billboard report. ⁴ Yonhap also summarized the plaintiffs’ access theory, saying they claim the demo was sent to industry figures who later shared it with some writers of BTS’s track. ⁴

Music Business Worldwide also cited a musicologist report quoted in the complaint, attributing to Alexander Stewart the phrase “copying is the inescapable conclusion.” ² That statement is part of the plaintiffs’ case as described in the complaint, not a court finding.

The allegations remain claims by the plaintiffs at this stage. The available source material does not state that a court has ruled on the merits of the copyright claim, granted an injunction, or approved any settlement.

BigHit Music Denies Plagiarism Claim

BigHit Music has rejected the claim. Yonhap’s English-language report said BTS’s label denied the plagiarism allegation after the U.S. claim became public and identified the matter as a copyright dispute over “SWIM.” ¹

The Korea Times, citing Xportsnews, reported on July 10, 2026, that BigHit Music denied the allegations, characterized the lawsuit as the plaintiffs’ claim, and said the song was independently created. ⁵ The report also said the agency intends to fight the case in court. ⁵

Hankook Ilbo reported BigHit Music’s response in Korean, saying the agency described the lawsuit as a one-sided claim by the plaintiffs and maintained that “SWIM” was independently created. ⁶ Because those agency statements were reported in Korean, they are best treated in English as paraphrased positions rather than verbatim English quotations.

The label response places the dispute on a litigation track. Based on the available reports, the plaintiffs are seeking remedies through federal court, while BigHit Music’s position is that the BTS song did not copy the plaintiffs’ work.

Defendants, Credited Writers and Current Status

The complaint names several companies and credited writers, including HYBE Co., HYBE America, HYBE Music Services, Big Hit Music and Artist Publishing Group. ³ Yonhap’s Korean-language report also said Ryan Tedder was among the credited writers named in the case, while BTS members were not listed as defendants. ⁴

That distinction is important to the current public record. Although the dispute concerns a BTS song, the available source material states that BTS members themselves were not named as defendants. ⁴ Music Business Worldwide separately reported that RM and Pdogg are credited writers on the track but are not defendants in the complaint. ²

Hankook Ilbo also reported that “SWIM” had remained on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks at the time of its July 10, 2026, publication. ⁶ The chart detail adds commercial context to the case but does not alter the legal status of the allegations.

The case now turns on the complaint, the defendants’ response, and any later court filings or rulings. The source material available so far establishes the plaintiffs’ allegation, the named parties, the relief requested, and BigHit Music’s denial, but it does not establish that infringement occurred.

BTS SWIM unpublished demo copyright lawsuit music studio concept

The BTS SWIM lawsuit is therefore a pending copyright dispute, not a resolved finding of plagiarism. The central facts now on record are that three songwriters filed a federal complaint over “SWIM,” named HYBE-related entities and credited writers as defendants, and face a denial from BigHit Music as the matter moves through legal proceedings.