Songwriters Drop Copyright Lawsuit Over BTS Hit SWIM
Three songwriters have dropped their copyright lawsuit against HYBE, the company behind BTS, over the group's song SWIM. The notice of dismissal was filed in a US federal court on Wednesday, 4 November, less than four months after the case began.
Copyright is the legal right to control who copies a piece of music. The plaintiffs, Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson, filed their complaint on 8 July in the US District Court for the Central District of California. Music Business Worldwide reported the dismissal.
They alleged that SWIM reproduces a composition of the same name that they wrote and completed as a demo in March 2025. They also said they sent the demo that month to industry contacts, including representatives of the publisher Artist Publishing Group (APG). The complaint alleged that those representatives shared it with Derrick Milano, an APG-signed songwriter credited on SWIM. These were allegations, and no court ruled on them.
The complaint named HYBE Co., HYBE America, HYBE Music Services and Big Hit Music as defendants. It also named APG and seven of SWIM's credited writers, including Ryan Tedder. BTS and its members were not named. Pdogg, a HYBE producer credited as a writer on SWIM alongside BTS member RM, was not named either.
The dismissal notice was filed by Clair G. Burrill, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys. It gave no reason for the withdrawal. The next day, Judge Otis D. Wright II dismissed the case without prejudice and cancelled all remaining court dates. "Without prejudice" means the songwriters are not barred from bringing the same claims again. The order cited Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(i), a rule that lets a plaintiff drop a case without asking a judge for approval.
No settlement has been announced.
SWIM is the lead single from BTS's album Arirang, released in March 2026. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the main US singles chart, giving BTS their seventh chart-topper.
For a fan, the lawsuit may have looked like a question about the song itself. For the people involved, it was a question about credit, and about who gets paid when a song is used. Writers earn from a song's publishing, the income that flows from its use on records, radio and streaming. A claim like this one puts the question of authorship in front of a court, which is why the parties' paperwork matters so much.
The case is closed for now, but the songwriters can return to court on the same claims.
