BTS' "SWIM" Plagiarism Accusers Drop Lawsuit After 119 Days

A U.S. copyright infringement lawsuit over BTS' song "SWIM" has come to an end after the three songwriters who filed it voluntarily dismissed the case.

According to Billboard and U.S. court records, songwriters Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson filed documents to dismiss the entire lawsuit with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Nov. 4. The filing came 119 days after they first filed the lawsuit on July 8.

The case centered on "SWIM," the title track from BTS' fifth studio album, "ARIRANG." The plaintiffs claimed the song copied an unreleased demo of the same name that they had created earlier.

They said they sent their demo to several music industry figures in March 2025 and alleged that it may have reached the songwriters who worked on BTS' version.

The plaintiffs also cited an analysis by a musicologist who compared the two songs. They claimed the analysis found similarities in melody, harmony, rhythm and lyrics, among other elements. They sought damages and an order prohibiting the song's use. They also asked to be recognized as co-writers and receive a share of the royalties.

BIGHIT MUSIC denied the allegations. "'SWIM' was independently created," the label said.

The lawsuit named HYBE, HYBE America and BIGHIT MUSIC, along with songwriters who worked on "SWIM."

On Sept. 28, the plaintiffs voluntarily withdrew their claims against BIGHIT MUSIC. The lawsuit against HYBE and the remaining defendants continued, but a filing on Nov. 4 brought the entire case to a close.

BTS also recently secured a favorable outcome in a separate copyright infringement lawsuit in the United States.

In August, Melissa Mais sued BTS, HYBE and other defendants, claiming they had used her unreleased music without permission.

On Sept. 18, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed her original complaint, finding that she had failed to present a legally valid claim. The court allowed her to file an amended complaint.

However, on Oct. 22, the court also dismissed her amended complaint and entered judgment in favor of the defendants.

The two U.S. copyright disputes involving BTS have now reached their conclusions within weeks of each other, but through different legal outcomes. The "SWIM" case ended with the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissing their lawsuit, while the separate case brought by Mais ended with a court ruling in favor of the defendants.