BTS’ latest hit “Swim” is facing a copyright lawsuit.
In a complaint filed Wednesday (July 8), and obtained by Billboard, songwriters Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson claim the BTS track copied major elements from their unreleased demo, also titled “Swim.”
The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this spring as the lead single from BTS’ album ARIRANG.
According to the lawsuit, the three songwriters say they reached the “obvious and inescapable conclusion” that BTS’ “Swim” copied “in very large part” from their original work.
The suit does not name BTS or its members as defendants. Instead, it targets HYBE, HYBE America, Big Hit Music and the songwriters behind the BTS track, including Grammy-winning hitmaker Ryan Tedder, known for his work with Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Adele.
A major issue in copyright cases is whether the defendants had access to the allegedly copied material. In the complaint, Cooper, Sandler and Johnson claim they began sending out their demo in March 2025, including to executives at Artist Publishing Group. They allege the demo was later shared with others, including some writers who worked on BTS’ “Swim.”
After the BTS song was released, the plaintiffs hired musicologist Alexander Stewart to compare the tracks. According to the lawsuit, Stewart found that the BTS version included elements “unequivocally taken” from the demo, including the title hook, harmonies, textures, rhythm and lyrics.
“In my expert opinion, independent creation of BTS can be ruled out and copying is the inescapable conclusion,” Stewart wrote in the report quoted in the complaint.
Stewart has previously been retained by plaintiffs in major music copyright cases involving Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Both cases ultimately ended with juries rejecting the infringement claims.
The plaintiffs say they contacted HYBE and the other defendants in an attempt to resolve the dispute, but no agreement was reached.
Representatives for HYBE, Artist Publishing Group and Tedder did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The defendants are expected to file formal responses in the coming months.
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