A legal challenge over BTS’ chart-topping hit Swim has been thrown out after the songwriters behind the case moved to end the dispute.
The lawsuit, which was launched in July against the group’s label and several writers credited on the song, alleged the K-pop stars’ comeback single borrowed elements from an unreleased demo carrying the same title.
However, the three writers who brought the claim have now requested that the case be dismissed in full, according to Billboard.
Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson originally alleged that their version of Swim, finished in March 2025, bore significant similarities to the BTS track, which was released a year later as the lead single from the band’s album ARIRANG.
The writers claimed their demo had been shared with contacts across the music business before BTS recorded the song, and argued it may have reached members of the creative team behind the chart-topping release.
Their complaint also referenced the findings of a forensic musicologist, who reportedly concluded there was evidence of copying between the two recordings.
The legal action targeted HYBE, HYBE America, BIGHIT MUSIC and a number of songwriters associated with the track, including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. The BTS members themselves were not named as defendants.
Swim became an instant success upon its release in March 2026, debuting at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
When the allegations first emerged, BIGHIT MUSIC rejected the claims and insisted the song had been developed independently.
The company said: “The allegations in the lawsuit are unilateral and unsubstantiated.
“SWIM is an independent creation. We will respond firmly through the appropriate legal process.”
No reason has yet been given for the abrupt dismissal of the case, and it remains unclear whether the parties reached a settlement behind closed doors before the lawsuit was dropped.
BTS recently hit another colossal milestone, with ARIRANG officially surpassing five billion streams on Spotify.
The K-pop group’s label confirmed the achievement in October, marking yet another record-breaking moment in the band’s 2026 comeback.
According to BIGHIT MUSIC, ARIRANG is now the most-streamed album released in 2026, and not by a small margin. At the time of writing, the record sat roughly two billion streams ahead of its nearest competitor, Olivia Rodrigo’s third album You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, which arrived in June.
The label also noted that Bruno Mars’ The Romantic and Harry Styles’ Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally – both released just weeks before ARIRANG – each pulled in between one billion and two billion streams.
Every track on ARIRANG crossed 200 million streams, while lead single SWIM crossed the billion mark.
Released on March 20, ARIRANG launched with more than 110 million first-day streams, becoming BTS’ first album as a reunited seven-piece following the members’ mandatory military service.
