BTS agency denies copyright infringement claims over 'Swim' song
MANILA, Philippines — HYBE, the company handling K-pop group BTS, is facing a lawsuit from three Americans claiming its single "Swim" copies a previously written demo.
Songwriters Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson filed the complaint last July 8 in the US District Court for the Central District of California. They allege that the lead single of BTS' comeback album "Arirang" reproduces a composition they wrote and recorded early last year.
According to them, they completed their own demo back in March 2025 and sent it out to industry contacts to see if any parties were interested in picking it up.
Among those they sent the demo was publishing company Artist Publishing Group, which the three is suing alongside HYBE. Derrick Milano, who is signed to the said company and is a credited co-writer for "Swim," is also being sued.
The three songwriters also claimed that their demo was played by Artist Publishing Group representatives and shared to other people.
The complaint noted that BTS worked on "Arirang" last year in Los Angeles and met with creatives to select material, citing the Netflix documentary "BTS: The Return" for referencing a track titled "Swim."
They consulted with a musicologist to compare the two songs, which led to the conclusion that "versions of these songs contain significant similarities and elements were unequivocally taken."
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"In my expert opinion, independent creation of BTS' 'Swim' can be ruled out and copying is the inescapable conclusion," said the musicologist, adding "the song would not exist in anything like its present form without the pervasive influence of" the previous demo.
Cooper, Sandler and Johnson reportedly registered their composition with the copyright office and are seeking an injunction against further use of BTS' track, along with damages and a share of the profits (amounts to be determined at trial).
They are also asking to be credited as co-writers of "nearly all" of BTS' track and awarded nearly all of the profits the song has generated since its March release, plus an accounting.
The other songwriters credited in the "Swim" track are James Essien, Jamison Baken, Ryan Tedder, Tyler Spry, Sean Foreman and Kirsten Spencer, who are also named as defendants. The complaint, however, does not include HYBE producer Pdogg, BTS leader RM, or his groupmates.
Big Hit Music, BTS' label which is also a defendant, called the allegations "unilateral and unsubstantiated." It reiterated that "Swim" is an independent creation and it will respond via "the appropriate legal process."
BTS is currently promoting "Arirang" in a world tour of the same name, which is slated to end with three shows in the Philippines in March 2027. The Philippine stop marks a decade since the K-pop group performed in the country as a complete group following their mandatory enlistment with the South Korean military.
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