BTS ‘Swim’ Copyright Lawsuit Dropped by Accusers Just Months After They Sued Over Hit Song
The case claimed the song, which reached No. 1 on the Hot 100, was "copied in very large part" from an unpublished demo.
A lawsuit accusing BTS of copying an earlier song has been dropped by the accusers just months after they filed the claim. Filed in July against BTS's label HYBE, the case alleged that the hit song "Swim" shared "substantial similarities" with an unpublished demo by three little-known songwriters. However, the attorneys for the three accusers (Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson) requested the judge to dismiss the lawsuit entirely in a court filing on November 4.
It is uncertain whether a settlement was reached, and neither side has responded to requests for comment. The case was still in its initial stages, with HYBE's lawyers yet to respond formally. In their July complaint, the accusers stated they had distributed copies of their demo to various parties in March 2025, including execs at Artist Publishing Group, who allegedly shared it with others, including some songwriters who later contributed to "Swim."
The accusers hired a forensic musicologist to examine the songs and concluded that "Swim" contained numerous elements that were "unequivocally taken" from the demo. The lawsuit did not name BTS or its members as defendants, instead targeting HYBE and its subsidiaries, HYBE America and Big Hit Music Co., as well as the songwriters behind "Swim."
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