Songwriters Drop Copyright Lawsuit Against HYBE Over BTS’ No. 1 Hit “Swim”

Three songwriters who accused BTS' label HYBE of copyright infringement over the group's No. 1 single "Swim" have dropped their federal lawsuit. A November 4 court docket entry records the voluntary dismissal, less than four months after the songwriters filed their complaint in California.

Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson alleged that the BTS track borrowed from an unreleased demo they had written under the same title. Their July 8 complaint pointed to alleged similarities in the hook, harmonies, rhythm and lyrics. The writers said they had circulated the demo among music industry contacts in March 2025 and alleged that it reached people connected to the production of the BTS single.

The original complaint named HYBE, HYBE America, BigHit Music and several people credited on the song, including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. BTS and its individual members were outside the suit. RM, who has a writing credit on "Swim," was among the members the plaintiffs did not name.

BigHit Music disputed the allegations in July, saying "Swim" was independently created and that it intended to defend the work in court. The plaintiffs later withdrew their claims against BigHit Music in September. Their November filing dismissed the remaining case before the court reached a ruling on the copyright allegations. Billboard reported that the court documents did not disclose whether the parties had reached a settlement. Neither side immediately responded to the outlet's requests for comment.

"Swim" was released on March 20 as the lead single from ARIRANG and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album marked the return of BTS as a seven-member recording group after all seven members completed South Korea's mandatory military service. The single gave the group a chart-topping start to its first full-group album release after a nearly four-year hiatus.