Highlights
- The BTS Swim copyright lawsuit alleges that the group's hit song borrowed key elements from an unreleased demo shared months before its release.
- The HYBE lawsuit names Big Hit Music, HYBE America, and songwriters including Ryan Tedder, while leaving the septet out of the case.
- HYBE has rejected the BTS copyright claim as one-sided, with fans pointing towards the group's latest production documentary to challenge the allegations.
Entertainment titan HYBE is facing a major federal copyright infringement lawsuit over one of BTS’ latest releases, Swim. A trio of independent songwriters is alleging that the chart-topping single directly used an unreleased demo.
The BTS Swim copyright lawsuit, filed July 8, 2026, was first obtained by Billboard. Notably, BTS' ARIRANG album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 earlier this spring, while Swim topped the Billboard Hot 100. However, the current BTS copyright dispute will test the boundaries of intellectual property and industry "access" in the modern streaming era.
BTS Swim Copyright Lawsuit Names HYBE, Big Hit Music, and Ryan Tedder
The plaintiffs of the case, Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler, and Greylyn Johnson, claim that the track has “copied in very large part” from their own unpublished work of the same name. Unlike usual plagiarism complaints, this HYBE lawsuit bypasses the names of the K-pop band members as defendants, and instead, the HYBE copyright infringement claim targets corporate entities Big Hit Music and HYBE America. Additionally, the case also involves the track’s high-profile external co-writers, Ryan Tedder, a Grammy-winning hitmaker who has previously written songs for Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Adele. Tedder was also formerly associated with OneRepublic, an American pop-rock band.
Plaintiffs Cite Demo Access and Musicologist Analysis in BTS Swim Copyright Claim
Proving that an established hitmaker like BTS, had physical “access” to an unreleased track is the biggest hurdle for plaintiffs in music copyright cases. According to industry publications, many high-profile music cases against Dua Lipa and Anitta have similarly been rejected in recent years. Nevertheless, the plaintiffs allege that in March 2025, they sent out copies of their demo “to various parties for them to consider.” As per Billboard reporting, these “parties” also had executives from Artist Publishing Group (APG) amongst them, who then reportedly shared the file with “others,” including the primary BTS songwriters.
To anchor their BTS Swim copyright claim, the plaintiffs consulted musicologist Alexander Stewart, who analyzed the song and noted that distinctive rhythmic, lyrical, and harmonic elements were "unequivocally taken" from the plaintiffs' track. The lawsuit quotes heavily from his report. “These elements are unique in the aggregate as well as distinctive individually. In my expert opinion, independent creation of BTS can be ruled out, and copying is the inescapable conclusion,” wrote Stewart in his findings. Notably, Stewart was involved in a number of cases against Ed Sheeran and Led Zeppelin. However, they were ultimately rejected by juries.
HYBE Responds to BTS Swim Dispute Amid Growing Legal Debate
Before initiating the formal BTS copyright lawsuit, the plaintiffs said that they tried to reach an amicable resolution with the defendants, however, their efforts went unanswered. Representatives for APG and Ryan Tedder did not immediately return requests for comment to Billboard; however, on July 10, 2026, HYBE responded to a local South Korean media outlet, Xsportsnews.
The BTS-label told the publication that “the lawsuit contains only the plaintiffs' unilateral claims,” and that they clearly maintain their stance of Swim being an “independent, original work.” The company had since vowed a firm legal response, leaving the industry to await formal rebuttal arguments in the months ahead.
BTS Legal Controversy Faces Fan Skepticism Online
The copyright lawsuit was met with swift backlash from many BTS fans on social media, where users dismissed the complaint as an opportunistic attempt to profit from the song's success. Many questioned the lawsuits' delayed filing, while others pointed out Big Hit Music's history of actively protecting its intellectual property.
BTS fans furious over plagiarism claims. Responses on X Screen-captured.
Fans also highlight that the company had documented ARIRANG's production process in a documentary, indicating that the allegations could possibly be disproved if the creative records were to be examined. The response shows how high-profile music industry disputes not only get discussed in courtrooms but also across various online communities, where the public’s opinion may shift rapidly as competing narratives appear.
