BTS’s ‘Swim’ Faces Major US Copyright Lawsuit: Big Hit Music Issues Fierce Legal Denial
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The K-pop industry was sent into a frenzy this week as the biggest developing story of the year unfolded in a California federal court.
BTS’s global chart-topping single “Swim,” the critically acclaimed lead track from their fifth studio album Arirang, has been hit with a massive copyright infringement lawsuit.
Filed on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the legal complaint alleges that the production team behind “Swim” copied protected elements of an unreleased demo. However, the initial silence from Korea did not last long. On Friday, July 10, 2026, Big Hit Music officially fired back, categorically denying the plagiarism claims and promising an aggressive defense.
Here is the comprehensive, up-to-the-minute breakdown of the allegations, the accused parties, the forensic musicology report, and the official stance from HYBE and Big Hit Music.
The Allegations: Who is Suing and Why?
The lawsuit was brought forward by three relatively unknown American songwriters and composers: Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler, and Greylyn Johnson. According to court documents, the trio claims that BTS’s “Swim” reproduces substantial, core elements of a track they wrote and recorded under the exact same title, “Swim,” in early 2025.
The plaintiffs state that they completed their original demo in March 2025 and immediately began circulating the recording to various music industry professionals to gauge commercial interest.
The legal team for the plaintiffs argues that the song was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, granting them full legal standing to pursue infringement damages.
The core of the plaintiffs’ argument rests on two primary legal pillars required to prove copyright infringement in the United States: access and substantial similarity.
The “Access” Question: How Could a Demo Reach BTS?
In any music plagiarism case, the plaintiffs must prove that the defendants had a reasonable opportunity to hear the original work before creating their own version. Cooper, Sandler, and Johnson claim they have the digital receipts to prove just that.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs utilized the popular industry music-sharing platform Disco.ac to distribute their track.
They allege that one of the primary recipients of their demo link was Artist Publishing Group (APG), a prominent independent music publishing label.
The lawsuit includes an explosive piece of evidence: a listening history report pulled from Disco.ac. The plaintiffs allege this exhibit proves that high-level executives and representatives at APG actively listened to and played their “Swim” demo starting in March 2025.
Connecting the Dots to HYBE
The link to BTS comes via the credited co-writers of the K-pop hit. The plaintiffs allege that APG representatives shared the demo internally and externally, eventually reaching Derrick Milano, a heavily sought-after songwriter signed to APG who is officially credited as a co-writer on BTS’s “Swim.”
The lawsuit highlights that during 2025, BTS and their production teams spent significant time in Los Angeles working on the Arirang album, meeting with Western producers and songwriters to curate material.
The complaint even references a scene from the recent Netflix documentary BTS: The Return, where a track titled “Swim” was explicitly mentioned among the studio files being evaluated during the L.A. sessions. The plaintiffs argue that this timeline perfectly mirrors the window in which their demo was circulating through APG and its affiliates.
The Musicologist’s Report: What is the Alleged Similarity?
To support their claims before a federal judge, the plaintiffs commissioned a preliminary report from prominent forensic musicologist Alexander Stewart.
Stewart analyzed both the unreleased American demo and the final studio version of BTS’s “Swim.” In court documents, his evaluation pulled no punches. He concluded that the similarities between the two tracks were far too specific to be a coincidence. Stewart noted:
“My research, investigation and analysis have determined that the versions of these songs titled ‘Swim’ contain significant similarities and that these elements in BTS were unequivocally taken from [the plaintiffs’ track]. These similarities encompass the signature phrase (or ‘hook’) referencing the title, unusual harmonies, textures, and rhythmic and lyrical elements.”
Stewart’s report concluded with a definitive statement: “In my expert opinion, independent creation of BTS can be ruled out and copying is the inescapable conclusion.”
A Contextual Silver Lining for ARMY
While Stewart’s conclusion sounds ominous, industry analysts have been quick to point out a crucial detail regarding his legal track record.
Stewart has previously served as the primary expert witness for plaintiffs in two of the most high-profile music copyright cases of the last decade: the lawsuits targeting Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”
Importantly, both of those blockbuster cases were ultimately dismissed by the courts, with judges ruling that the musical similarities did not constitute illegal copyright infringement. This history has given legal experts and fans reason to believe that Stewart’s “inescapable conclusions” face an uphill battle in front of a jury.
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The Defendants: Are the BTS Members Being Sued?
One of the most vital distinctions in this breaking story is the list of named defendants.
The lawsuit explicitly names corporate entities and the Western songwriting team behind the melody. The defendants include:
- HYBE Co., HYBE America, and HYBE Music Services
- Big Hit Music
- Artist Publishing Group (APG)
- Credit co-writers: Ryan Tedder (frontman of OneRepublic), Derrick Milano, James Essien, Jamison Baken (Leclair), Tyler Spry, Sean Foreman, and Kirsten Spencer.
Is RM Named in the Lawsuit?
No. Neither RM nor any other member of BTS has been named as an individual defendant in the lawsuit. While BTS’s leader RM and long-time HYBE resident producer Pdogg are officially credited as co-writers on “Swim”.
With RM having contributed heavily to the track’s Korean rap and lyrical structure—the lawsuit chooses to focus its liability entirely on the corporate structures and the Western composers responsible for the foundational tracking, hook, and melodic demo selection.
Big Hit Music Fires Back: “Unsubstantiated, One-Sided Claims”
After evaluating the filing for 48 hours, Big Hit Music broke its silence on July 10 with a firm, uncompromising public statement distributed to major South Korean and international media outlets, including Yonhap and The Korea Herald.
The agency explicitly rejected every allegation of plagiarism, emphasizing that “Swim” is a completely authentic, untainted piece of art. Big Hit Music stated:
“This lawsuit represents nothing more than a one-sided argument put forward by the plaintiffs. We make it unequivocally clear that ‘Swim’ was created independently and originally.
The allegations in the lawsuit are unilateral and unsubstantiated. We will respond forcefully through proper legal channels going forward.”
The absolute confidence in Big Hit’s statement indicates that HYBE’s legal infrastructure is prepared for a protracted, high-stakes court battle in California rather than offering a quick, quiet financial settlement.
What is At Stake? Injunctions, Royalties, and the World Cup
Because “Swim” is an unprecedented commercial juggernaut, the stakes of this lawsuit could not be higher.
The track debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release in March 2026. By June, it had racked up an astonishing eight consecutive weeks at the top of the Billboard Global Excl.
U.S. chart, tying the historic record set by the group’s 2020 mega-hit “Dynamite.” It has already accumulated over 696,000,000 streams on Spotify and took home the coveted Song of the Summer award at the 2026 American Music Awards in Las Vegas last May.
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The Plaintiffs’ Legal Demands
Because of this monumental financial success, Cooper, Sandler, and Johnson are asking the Central District of California for severe remedies:
- An Injunction: A court order halting all further commercial exploitation, streaming, distribution, and radio play of BTS’s “Swim.”
- Damages and Disgorgement: A complete accounting and handover of all profits generated by the song worldwide.
- Alternative Co-Writer Status: If the court does not halt the song completely, the plaintiffs demand to be legally recognized as the primary co-writers of “nearly all” of BTS’s “Swim,” directing almost all future copyright royalties to their pockets.
The Timing Dilemma
The timing of this lawsuit is incredibly sensitive. BTS is currently on the European leg of their massive Arirang World Tour, filling stadiums globally after all seven members successfully completed their South Korean mandatory military service.
More pressingly, the septet is scheduled to headline the historic halftime show at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in North America on July 19, where they are set to perform a collaborative set alongside Justin Bieber, Madonna, and Shakira.
Legal experts believe it is highly unlikely that the court would grant an emergency injunction to stop their World Cup performance, but the cloud of a federal lawsuit undoubtedly adds intense pressure to what should be a triumphant moment for the group.
Conclusion: The Long Legal Road Ahead
Copyright disputes in the United States music industry are notorious for lasting months, if not years. Between the discovery phase—where emails, hard drives, and Disco.ac tracking data will be subpoenaed—and the scheduling of expert musicology depositions, this story is bound to dominate K-pop headlines for the foreseeable future.
While the plaintiffs believe they have a smoking gun with their digital listening logs, Big Hit Music’s fierce “independent creation” stance shows that the agency has total faith in its global creative process and will spare no expense to protect the integrity of the Arirang era.
This legal battlefield is shifting by the hour, and Kpopfam will continue to closely track every court filing, industry response, and breaking update to keep you informed as this massive story unfolds. Keep your eyes locked right here for the latest developments.