Big Hit Music has denied plagiarism allegations against BTS’ song Swim, calling the copyright lawsuit a one-sided claim and saying it will defend the group through legal channels.
According to the Indian Express, BTS’ agency rejected accusations that Swim, the lead single from the group’s fifth studio album Arirang, copied a song written by American songwriters. The label described the allegations as unverified claims and said it plans to take strong legal action in response.
Songwriters Steve Cooper, John Sandler and Graylyn Johnson recently filed a lawsuit, claiming that Swim has significant similarities with a demo they wrote under the same title.
The lawsuit names HYBE, its US subsidiary HYBE America and Big Hit Music as defendants. It also includes several songwriters credited on Swim, including Ryan Tedder, a member of OneRepublic.
BTS member RM is credited as a co-writer of the track. However, Billboard reported that neither RM nor any other BTS member has been named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
A key issue in copyright disputes is whether the accused party had access to the original work. The songwriters claimed they shared their demo with several people in the music industry from March last year, including staff at Artist Publishing Group. They alleged the song later reached some of the writers involved in creating Swim.
To support their case, the songwriters hired musicologist Alexander Stewart to compare the two tracks. According to the lawsuit, Stewart found similarities in the chorus hook, including the repeated use of the title, along with shared elements in harmony, texture, rhythm and lyrics.
Based on his analysis, Stewart concluded that the similarities were too strong to be accidental and described Swim as a derivative work rather than an original composition.
Stewart has previously worked as an expert witness in copyright cases, including disputes involving Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. Both cases were ultimately dismissed by courts.
In a statement issued on 10 July, Big Hit Music directly addressed the allegations. The agency said the lawsuit relies entirely on the plaintiffs’ claims and maintained that Swim was created independently.
The company added that it will firmly challenge the allegations through appropriate legal procedures.
