Big Hit Music, the HYBE subsidiary that manages BTS, has publicly denied allegations that the band's single SWIM copied a song written by three US songwriters, stating on Friday 10 July that the track is an independent creation. The label described the claims as "unilateral and unsubstantiated" and said it would "respond firmly through the appropriate legal process". The dispute matters because SWIM was a major commercial success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for BTS's seventh chart-topper, and it forms part of a growing pattern of US copyright litigation against HYBE.

The complaint, filed on 8 July by songwriters Steve Cooper, Jon Sandler and Greylyn Johnson, alleges that SWIM reproduces a demo of the same name they wrote and recorded in early 2025 and later sent to industry contacts, including the publisher Artist Publishing Group. The plaintiffs registered their composition with the US Copyright Office and commissioned musicologist Alexander Stewart, who concluded that copying was "the inescapable conclusion". The suit names HYBE Co., HYBE America, Big Hit Music and credited writers including Derrick Milano, James Essien and Ryan Tedder — though not BTS's members, RM or producer Pdogg — and seeks an injunction, damages and a profit share, or alternatively co-writing credit. It is the third US copyright suit against HYBE in two months, following actions over NewJeans tracks How Sweet and ETA.