Big Hit Music denies plagiarism claims against BTS’ ‘Swim’, promises legal response

3 min readHyderabadJul 10, 2026 03:57 PM IST

BTS' song 'Swim' faces plagiarism claim.

BTS‘ agency, Big Hit Music, has pushed back against accusations that “Swim,” the lead single from the group’s fifth studio album Arirang, copies a song written by relatively unknown American songwriters. The label dismissed the accusations as one-sided and said it plans to pursue a robust legal defense.

According to Billboard, songwriters Steve Cooper, John Sandler, and Graylyn Johnson recently filed suit, arguing that “Swim” bears substantial resemblance to a demo they had written under the same title.

The lawsuit names HYBE, its U.S. subsidiary HYBE America, and Big Hit Music as defendants, along with several songwriters credited on “Swim,” including Ryan Tedder, best known as a member of OneRepublic. Notably, while BTS member RM is credited as a co-writer of the track, Billboard reported that neither he nor any other BTS member was included as a defendant in the filing.

A central element of any copyright dispute is whether the alleged infringer had access to the original work. On this point, the plaintiffs claim they circulated their demo to multiple people in the music industry beginning in March of the previous year, including staff at Artist Publishing Group, and allege the track eventually reached some of the writers involved in creating “Swim.”

To support their case, the songwriters enlisted musicologist Alexander Stewart to conduct a comparative analysis of the two songs. Stewart reportedly identified overlapping elements in the chorus hook including the repeated use of the title, as well as shared characteristics in harmony, texture, rhythm, and lyrical content. Based on his review, he concluded that the resemblance was too strong to be coincidental, describing “Swim” as derivative rather than an original composition. It’s worth noting that Stewart has served as an expert witness in prior high-profile infringement cases, including disputes involving Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”—both of which were ultimately dismissed by the courts.

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In response, Big Hit Music issued a statement on July 10 addressing the controversy directly. The agency asserted that the lawsuit rests entirely on the plaintiffs’ own unverified claims and reaffirmed its position that “Swim” was created independently. The company stated it intends to contest the allegations firmly through the appropriate legal channels.