BTS' chart-topping single "Swim" has become the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit after three songwriters from the United States claimed the global hit copied key elements from a demo they created earlier this year.
According to reports from The Korea Herald, US songwriters Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler, and Greylyn Johnson filed the complaint on Wednesday, July 15, before the US District Court for the Central District of California. The plaintiffs allege that "Swim," the lead single from the group's latest album Arirang, contains substantial similarities to their own unreleased demo bearing the same title.
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The lawsuit names Hybe, Hybe America, Big Hit Music, and several of the track's co-writers including Derrick Milano, James Essien, and Ryan Tedder as defendants. BTS members themselves are not included in the lawsuit, nor are RM and producer Pdogg, despite both taking part in writing the song.
According to the complaint, the three US songwriters began developing their version of "Swim" in early 2025 and completed a demo in March of the same year. They claim the recording was circulated to various music industry contacts, including executives at Artist Publishing Group, through the music-sharing platform Disco. The plaintiffs argue that the demo may have eventually reached the writers who later worked on BTS' version of "Swim."
To support their claims, the three songwriters hired musicologist Alexander Stewart to analyze both songs. The complaint states that the musicologist found similarities in the title hook, harmony, texture, rhythm, and lyrics, ultimately concluding that BTS' "Swim" was not an original composition.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to stop any further commercial use of "Swim" and award them damages as well as profits generated from the song. As an alternative, they are requesting to be recognized as co-writers and receive a share of the song's copyright royalties.
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Following the filing of the lawsuit, Big Hit Music addressed the allegations on July 17, firmly denying that "Swim" infringed on anyone else's work.
"'Swim' is an independent creation," the agency said in a statement shared with The Korea Herald. "The allegations in the lawsuit are unilateral and unsubstantiated. We will respond firmly through the appropriate legal process."
The case will now move through the US legal system, where the court will determine whether the similarities cited by the plaintiffs amount to copyright infringement.
Despite the legal dispute, "Swim" has enjoyed massive commercial success since its release. The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last March before also reaching the top of the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart in April.
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As of June, the track had spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, tying BTS' 2020 hit "Dynamite" for the group's longest-running chart-topper among its eight No. 1 songs on the ranking.
The song also earned BTS the Song of the Summer award at the 2026 American Music Awards, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas last May.
"Swim" is currently over 696,000 streams on the global music streaming platform Spotify.