Legal Battle Over Alleged Song Similarities: BTS's 'Swim' Faces Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
A recent lawsuit alleges that the popular song "Swim" by BTS may have borrowed elements from an unpublished demo created by three lesser-known songwriters. The lawsuit, filed against BTS's label HYBE and its subsidiaries, claims that there are significant similarities between the BTS hit and the song of the same name by the trio of songwriters. The accusers assert that the BTS track copied their original work and infringed on their copyrights.
The lawsuit does not directly name BTS or its members as defendants but targets their label and the songwriters behind the BTS track, including Ryan Tedder. To support their case, the accusers claim that they had shared their demo with various parties, including executives at Artist Publishing Group, who allegedly passed it on to some of the songwriters involved in creating "Swim."
Following the release of the BTS track, the accusers enlisted the help of a musicologist named Alexander Stewart to analyze the songs. Stewart's report highlighted numerous elements in the BTS version that he believed were taken from the original demo, including signature phrases, harmonies, textures, and lyrical elements. The report concluded that the similarities were too significant to be considered independent creation, pointing towards copying as the likely explanation.
Despite attempts to resolve the dispute with HYBE and the other defendants, the accusers were unable to reach a resolution, leading to the filing of the lawsuit. The defendants are expected to respond to the claims in the lawsuit and seek its dismissal in the coming months.