BTS faces 'SWIM' plagiarism lawsuit in US as BigHit Music denies allegations

BTS has been hit with a plagiarism lawsuit in the United States over its song “SWIM,” prompting agency BigHit Music to firmly reject the allegations and vow to fight the case in court.

"The lawsuit contains only the plaintiffs' unilateral claims," BigHit Music told Xportsnews Friday.

"We clearly maintain that 'SWIM' is an independent, original work.

We will respond firmly through the legal process." The statement came after Billboard reported Thursday that songwriters Steve Cooper, John Sandler and Graylin Johnson filed a lawsuit the previous day, alleging that BTS' “SWIM” is substantially similar to a demo song of the same title that they had written.

According to the report, the complaint names HYBE, HYBE America, BigHit Music and several songwriters credited on “SWIM,” including Ryan Tedder, the front man of American pop-rock band OneRepublic.

BTS leader RM is also credited as one of the song's writers.

However, the plaintiffs did not name any of the BTS members as defendants in the lawsuit.

The case is expected to proceed through the U.S. legal system, where the court will ...