American songwriters who accused BTS’ “Swim” of copying an unpublished demo have withdrawn their claims, leading to the U.S. copyright lawsuit being dropped, according to court filings reported by multiple outlets.
The plaintiffs—identified as Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler, and Greylyn Johnson—filed the suit in July, arguing the hit track contained “substantial similarities” to their earlier song of the same name. They named HYBE, HYBE America, BigHit Music, and credited writers, including Ryan Tedder, as defendants. Yonhap and Korea Times both report that the request to dismiss the case came in a court filing dated Wednesday (U.S. time) and reference the plaintiffs’ earlier allegations. Neither BTS nor BTS members are listed as defendants, though RM is credited among the song’s writers.
Billboard focuses on the fact pattern of the case timing—just months after the lawsuit—and highlights that the claim sought dismissal after the accusers withdrew. Korea Times also notes that BigHit Music previously rejected the allegations as “one-sided.” Across coverage, the central point is the withdrawal and dismissal rather than a court ruling on the merits.
