BTS' agency, Big Hit Music, has responded to allegations that Swim, the lead single from the group's fifth studio album, Arirang, infringes on the copyright of a song written by three American songwriters.
On July 10, Big Hit Music addressed the lawsuit, maintaining that the allegations are based solely on the plaintiffs' claims and asserting that "Swim" was independently created.
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The agency has rejected the claims and said it will defend itself through legal channels.
The Controversy
According to Billboard, songwriters Steve Cooper, John Sandler and Graylyn Johnson recently filed a lawsuit, alleging that BTS' Swim closely resembles a demo they had previously written under the same title.
The lawsuit names HYBE, HYBE America and Big Hit Music as defendants.
It also includes several songwriters credited on Swim, including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder.
However, Billboard reported that BTS members have not been named in the lawsuit, despite RM being credited as one of the song's co-writers.
As part of their complaint, the plaintiffs argued that their demo had been circulated within the music industry beginning in March of the previous year. They claimed it was shared with multiple industry professionals, including staff at Artist Publishing Group, and eventually reached some of the writers involved in creating Swim.
To support their allegations, the songwriters enlisted musicologist Alexander Stewart to compare the two tracks. According to the report, Stewart identified similarities in the chorus hook, including the repeated use of the title, as well as overlapping elements in harmony, texture, rhythm and lyrical content.
Based on his analysis, he concluded that the similarities were significant enough to suggest that Swim was derivative rather than an original composition.
Stewart has previously served as an expert witness in several high-profile copyright disputes, including cases involving Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud and Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven. Both cases were ultimately dismissed by the courts.
