Unknown U.S. Songwriters File Lawsuit Alleging Plagiarism in BTS's 'SWIM'

▲ Group BTS

Allegations have emerged that the title track SWIM from BTS's 5th album Arirang plagiarized songs by unknown songwriters.

Billboard, a U.S. music industry magazine, reported on July 9 (local time) that three songwriters—Steve Cooper, John Sandler, and Graylyn Johnson—filed a lawsuit the previous day, claiming significant similarities between BTS's SWIM and their own demo track of the same name.

According to the complaint, they have filed the lawsuit against HYBE, HYBE America, and Big Hit Music, as well as the songwriting team for SWIM, which includes Ryan Tedder, a former member of the band OneRepublic.

Although RM is also listed as one of the songwriters for the track, Billboard reported that Cooper and the other plaintiffs did not name BTS or its members as defendants.

Regarding access, a key issue in copyright lawsuits, the plaintiffs claim that they sent their demo track to various industry figures, including executives at Artist Publishing Group, starting in March of last year, and that these individuals shared their demo with some of the songwriters of SWIM.

Alexander Stewart, a musicologist commissioned by the plaintiffs to analyze the tracks, compared BTS's SWIM with the demo and argued, "There are similarities ranging from the hook that mentions the title to the unique harmony, texture, rhythm, and lyrical elements." He added, "From an expert's perspective, it is an unavoidable conclusion that (SWIM) is not an original creation by BTS, but a copied song."

Stewart has previously been involved in plagiarism lawsuits, including those involving Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud and Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, which were dismissed.

(Photo courtesy of Big Hit Music, Yonhap News)

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