[Edaily Reporter KIM HYUNSIK ] Composers who filed a lawsuit alleging that the hit song “SWIM” by the group BTS plagiarized their work have requested to dismiss the lawsuit after about four months.

On the 4th (local time), U.S. music magazine Billboard reported, “The plaintiffs’ attorneys filed a motion with the court today requesting the complete dismissal of the lawsuit.” According to the report, the lawsuit entered the dismissal process at an early stage, before attorneys for BTS’s agency, HYBE, had submitted their official response. It remains unclear whether the two sides have reached a settlement.
“Swim” is the title track of BTS’s fifth studio album, “ARIRANG,” released last March. Since its release, the song has gained global popularity, including reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s main singles chart, the Hot 100.
Amid this, three songwriters—Steve Cooper, John Sander, and Graylin Johnson—filed a lawsuit in a U.S. court last July, alleging that “Swim” plagiarized an unreleased demo track of the same name that they had created.
They alleged that their demo, which they had sent to various music industry figures starting in March of last year, was shared with some of the songwriters behind “Swim.” The lawsuit named HYBE, the agency, and the “Swim” songwriting team—including songwriter Ryan Teder—as defendants. However, the BTS members were not named as defendants.
In response, Big Hit Music refuted the claims last July, stating, “This lawsuit is merely a unilateral assertion by the plaintiffs,” and added, “‘Swim’ is an independent creative work.” The company has not issued any additional statements regarding reports that the lawsuit has been withdrawn.