Three Los Angeles-based songwriters, Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson, filed the case in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on July 8, accusing HYBE-related companies, Artist Publishing Group and several of the song's credited writers of copyright infringement.
BTS and its members were not named as defendants.
RM is credited as a co-writer of "SWIM," but neither he nor the group is listed among the parties being sued. The defendants include HYBE, HYBE America, HYBE Music Services, Big Hit Music and songwriters Derrick Milano, James Essien, Le Clair, Ryan Tedder, Tyler Spry, Sean Foreman and Kirsten Spencer.
The plaintiffs say they completed their own song, also titled "SWIM," in March 2025 and circulated a demo to music industry contacts in Los Angeles.
According to the complaint, the demo was sent to executives at Artist Publishing Group and to other managers and publishing figures. The plaintiffs allege that the song was later shared with people connected to writers who worked on BTS' version.
That alleged chain of access is likely to become a central issue in the case.
In music copyright disputes, plaintiffs generally must show not only that two works are substantially similar, but that the accused creators had a plausible opportunity to hear the earlier work.
The complaint does not identify direct evidence showing that BTS or every credited writer personally heard the demo. Instead, it lays out what the plaintiffs describe as a path through publishers, managers and songwriters that may have connected the two works.
To support their case, the plaintiffs commissioned a preliminary analysis from musicologist Alexander Stewart. Stewart's report claims that the two songs share similarities in their title-based hooks, melodies, rhythms, harmonic structure, lyrical themes and recurring synthesizer patterns.
Stewart argues that both tracks rely heavily on two chords without establishing a clear tonal center, creating what he describes as a floating, aquatic sound. He also compares the repeated use of the word "swim" and melodic phrases that follow it in both songs.
Those findings are allegations submitted by the plaintiffs and have not been tested in court.
HYBE and Big Hit Music had not publicly commented on the lawsuit as of Friday.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages, profits tied to the song and injunctive relief. In an alternative claim, they argue that they should be recognized as co-creators and receive a share of past and future earnings from "SWIM."
The case comes after "SWIM" became one of the biggest releases of BTS' career.
The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the group's fifth studio album, "ARIRANG," also opened atop the Billboard 200.
This is the third copyright case filed against HYBE-linked entities in recent months. In May, four Los Angeles songwriters sued HYBE, ADOR and NewJeans over the 2024 single "How Sweet." On July 7, New York publisher All Surface Publishing sued the same companies over NewJeans' 2023 track "ETA." Both cases are unrelated to the SWIM lawsuit and involve different songs and claimants.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.