The title track "Swim" from BTS' fifth album "Arirang" has been caught up in a plagiarism controversy. Little-known composers filed a lawsuit, saying there are significant similarities between their demo track and BTS' song.
Billboard reported on the 9th (local time) that three composers — Steve Cooper, John Sandler and Graylin Johnson — filed a lawsuit the previous day, claiming BTS' "Swim" is similar to a demo track of the same name they made.
According to the complaint, they took legal action against the songwriting team behind "Swim," including HYBE, HYBE America, BigHit Music and Ryan Tedder, a former member of the band OneRepublic.
RM is also listed among the composers of "Swim," but Billboard said the plaintiffs did not specifically name BTS or its members as defendants.
One of the key issues in the lawsuit is whether the BTS side had access to the plaintiffs' demo. Cooper and others said that starting in March last year, they sent their demo to music industry figures, including executives at Artist Publishing Group, and that in the process the track was shared with some members of the "Swim" songwriting team.
Alexander Stewart, a musicology researcher hired by the plaintiffs, also pointed to similarities between the two songs. Comparing BTS' "Swim" and the plaintiffs' demo, he said, "From the hook that mentions the title to distinctive harmony, texture, rhythm and lyrical elements, there are similarities," adding, "From a professional standpoint, ('Swim') is not BTS' original creation but a copied song — an inescapable conclusion."
Stewart previously worked on plagiarism cases involving Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" and Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven." However, those cases were dismissed.