BTS song Swim faces copyright lawsuit over alleged similarities to demo

ISLAMABAD: BTS’s song Swim has become the subject of a copyright dispute after three songwriters filed a lawsuit alleging that the track copied key elements from an earlier unpublished demo they had created.

According to court documents filed on July 8, Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson said BTS’s Swim — released earlier this year as the lead single from ARIRANG — has substantial similarities to their own song, which also carried the title Swim. The legal action names HYBE, HYBE America, Big Hit Music and several songwriters credited on BTS’s version as defendants. BTS and the group’s individual members have not been named personally in the case.

In the complaint, the plaintiffs said that after repeatedly listening to BTS’s release, they reached what they described as an “obvious and inescapable conclusion” that their work had been copied “in very large part”.

They are seeking damages for alleged copyright infringement and contend that distinctive musical and lyrical features from their demo were used in the commercially released song.

Access to the earlier work at issue

A key question in copyright cases is whether those accused of infringement had access to the earlier material before creating their own work. Cooper, Sandler and Johnson said they began circulating their demo in March 2025 among music industry contacts in an effort to secure opportunities for the song.

According to the lawsuit, the demo was shared with executives at Artist Publishing Group, who the plaintiffs allege listened to it and passed it on to others, including people who were later involved in writing BTS’s Swim. Those allegations have not been proven in court.

Expert report cited in complaint

To support their case, the three songwriters retained musicologist Alexander Stewart to compare the two recordings. The complaint quotes his report extensively and says he found multiple similarities between the tracks.

Stewart identified what he described as overlaps in the central hook, harmonies, textures, rhythmic structure and lyrical elements. He said that, in his expert view, the combination of similarities made independent creation unlikely and made copying the most probable explanation.

Stewart has previously testified as an expert witness in prominent music copyright disputes, including cases involving Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. In both of those matters, courts ultimately ruled in favour of the defendants despite his involvement.

The complaint also says the three writers tried to settle the issue before going to court. According to the filing, their representatives contacted HYBE, but the discussions did not result in an agreement.