BTS's SWIM copyright lawsuit has been dropped by the three songwriters who accused HYBE of copying their demo. Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler, and Greylyn Johnson withdrew their case in a Los Angeles federal court, leaving the dispute without a ruling on the alleged copying.
Judge Otis D. Wright II closed the case after attorney Clair G. Burrill filed the withdrawal. The court also canceled all pending deadlines. But the dismissal came without prejudice, which means the writers can file those claims again.
Here's the catch. No one has given a public reason for the move, and the court papers do not confirm a deal between the parties. The case closed before a judge decided whether the music broke copyright law.
The original complaint had a long list of targets. HYBE Co., HYBE America, HYBE Music Services, Big Hit Music, and Artist Publishing Group, or APG, were named alongside seven credited composers, one of whom was Ryan Tedder.
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(i), a plaintiff may end a case through a notice before the defendant serves an answer or seeks summary judgment. The clerk also sent the required notice of the dismissal to the US Copyright Office.
As for the song itself, SWIM led BTS's Arirang album and hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. That marked the group's seventh chart leader. Its success became the focus of a dispute over a separate demo that shared its title.
The trio claimed they had made their version first and passed it to music industry contacts. APG staff allegedly sent it to Derrick Milano, an APG songwriter who later received a credit on the BTS release.
And the writers were adamant about the alleged similarities. They hired music expert Alexander Stewart, whose early analysis backed their claim that the BTS composition relied on their work rather than coming from a separate creative process.
Their demands went well past a songwriting credit. They wanted the court to stop the alleged infringement, award damages, and give them part of the track's earnings. As another option, they sought credit for almost the whole composition and a matching share of its profits.
Worth noting, the BTS members were never sued. Neither was HYBE producer Pdogg, who shares a writing credit with group member RM. Big Hit Music had already left the case before the wider withdrawal.
The label had also pushed back against the claims. It maintained that the track was made independently and rejected the evidence as weak. Big Hit Music said it would defend its position through legal channels.
There had been some procedural issues as well. The court asked the writers to show that four composer defendants got the legal papers within the required window, or explain the delay. Other defendants had been given more time to respond to a revised complaint.
HYBE had faced other US copyright claims in a short stretch. Four Los Angeles writers accused HYBE, ADOR, and NewJeans of using parts of a rejected demo for How Sweet, while New York firm All Surface Publishing alleged that ETA borrowed material from Samir's Theme, a dance track from 2005.
A separate music copyright case had a similar exit. Aviel Calev Hirschfield withdrew his claim over Drake's Janice STFU after just 11 days. That action had targeted Drake, OVO Sound, UMG Recordings, and Universal Music Publishing.
For the SWIM dispute, the legal status is clear. The case has closed, but the claims remain untested in court, and the dismissal does not settle whether any copying took place.
Judge Otis D. Wright II closed the case after attorney Clair G. Burrill filed the withdrawal. The court also canceled all pending deadlines. But the dismissal came without prejudice, which means the writers can file those claims again.
Here's the catch. No one has given a public reason for the move, and the court papers do not confirm a deal between the parties. The case closed before a judge decided whether the music broke copyright law.
The original complaint had a long list of targets. HYBE Co., HYBE America, HYBE Music Services, Big Hit Music, and Artist Publishing Group, or APG, were named alongside seven credited composers, one of whom was Ryan Tedder.
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A)(i), a plaintiff may end a case through a notice before the defendant serves an answer or seeks summary judgment. The clerk also sent the required notice of the dismissal to the US Copyright Office.
As for the song itself, SWIM led BTS's Arirang album and hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. That marked the group's seventh chart leader. Its success became the focus of a dispute over a separate demo that shared its title.
The trio claimed they had made their version first and passed it to music industry contacts. APG staff allegedly sent it to Derrick Milano, an APG songwriter who later received a credit on the BTS release.
And the writers were adamant about the alleged similarities. They hired music expert Alexander Stewart, whose early analysis backed their claim that the BTS composition relied on their work rather than coming from a separate creative process.
Their demands went well past a songwriting credit. They wanted the court to stop the alleged infringement, award damages, and give them part of the track's earnings. As another option, they sought credit for almost the whole composition and a matching share of its profits.
Worth noting, the BTS members were never sued. Neither was HYBE producer Pdogg, who shares a writing credit with group member RM. Big Hit Music had already left the case before the wider withdrawal.
The label had also pushed back against the claims. It maintained that the track was made independently and rejected the evidence as weak. Big Hit Music said it would defend its position through legal channels.
There had been some procedural issues as well. The court asked the writers to show that four composer defendants got the legal papers within the required window, or explain the delay. Other defendants had been given more time to respond to a revised complaint.
HYBE had faced other US copyright claims in a short stretch. Four Los Angeles writers accused HYBE, ADOR, and NewJeans of using parts of a rejected demo for How Sweet, while New York firm All Surface Publishing alleged that ETA borrowed material from Samir's Theme, a dance track from 2005.
A separate music copyright case had a similar exit. Aviel Calev Hirschfield withdrew his claim over Drake's Janice STFU after just 11 days. That action had targeted Drake, OVO Sound, UMG Recordings, and Universal Music Publishing.
For the SWIM dispute, the legal status is clear. The case has closed, but the claims remain untested in court, and the dismissal does not settle whether any copying took place.
