Big Hit Music has denied allegations that BTS‘s single SWIM copied a song written by three US songwriters.
The HYBE subsidiary, which manages BTS, told MBW on Friday (July 10) that the track is an independent creation and that it will respond via “the appropriate legal process”.
The statement follows a copyright complaint filed against HYBE and the credited writers of SWIM on Wednesday (July 8).
“The allegations in the lawsuit are unilateral and unsubstantiated,” Big Hit Music said.
“‘SWIM’ is an independent creation. We will respond firmly through the appropriate legal process,” the BTS label added.
“‘SWIM’ is an independent creation. We will respond firmly through the appropriate legal process.”
BIGHIT MUSIC
The three songwriters allege that SWIM, the lead single from BTS‘s album Arirang, reproduces a demo of the same name that they wrote and recorded in early 2025, as reported by MBW.
BTS worked on Arirang in Los Angeles in 2025, meeting songwriters and producers to select material, the complaint says.
The plaintiffs, Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson, say they sent the recording to industry contacts, including the publisher Artist Publishing Group.
A listening report from the platform Disco.ac, attached to the complaint as an exhibit, shows representatives at the publisher played the demo, according to the filing.
The plaintiffs registered their SWIM composition with the US Copyright Office, according to a certificate attached to the complaint.
The plaintiffs say the demo reached writers who worked on BTS‘s SWIM, and commissioned a musicologist, Alexander Stewart, to compare the two songs.
Stewart concluded that independent creation of the BTS track “can be ruled out and copying is the inescapable conclusion,” according to the complaint.
The lawsuit names HYBE Co., HYBE America and Big Hit Music, along with the credited writers of SWIM, including Derrick Milano, James Essien and Ryan Tedder.
BTS‘s members are not named as defendants, nor are RM and the HYBE producer Pdogg, who are both credited as writers of SWIM.
The songwriters are seeking an injunction against further use of SWIM, along with damages and a share of the profits generated by the BTS track.
In the alternative, they ask to be credited as co-writers of “nearly all” of BTS‘s SWIM, according to the complaint.
The plaintiffs say they approached HYBE and the other defendants before filing the complaint, but that the two sides did not reach a resolution.
The complaint is the third US copyright suit filed against HYBE in two months.
In May, four Los Angeles songwriters sued HYBE, ADOR and NewJeans over the 2024 single How Sweet, which they said was built from a demo they had submitted and been told would not be used.
On Tuesday (July 7), New York publisher All Surface Publishing sued the same companies over NewJeans‘ 2023 track ETA.
ADOR, the HYBE label behind NewJeans, denied the How Sweet allegations, saying “no form of copying or infringement took place.”
SWIM debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving BTS their seventh chart-topper, while Arirang entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1.Music Business Worldwide