Several songwriters file a copyright lawsuit in the United States alleging that BTS’s “Swim,” released as the lead track of the group’s album “Arirang,” copies their earlier, unpublished demo. According to reports, Steve Cooper, John Sandler, and Greylyn Johnson claim the song was “copied in very large part” and that the similarities are “obvious and inescapable.” The plaintiffs say they shared their demo starting around March of the prior year with music-industry contacts, including executives connected to music publishers and labels.
The lawsuit names HYBE and HYBE America, along with BigHit Music, as defendants, and also lists credited writers connected to “Swim,” including Ryan Tedder. The lawsuit does not list BTS members as defendants, though RM is credited as a songwriter on the track.
BigHit Music/HYBE reject the allegations, describing the claim as “one-sided,” and say they plan to pursue legal action in response to the complaint. The proceedings focus on whether “Swim” infringes the plaintiffs’ claimed rights in their demo track, which is described as having the same title.
