[Dispatch=Park Hye-jin] BTS has been cleared from a plagiarism lawsuit surrounding 'SWIM'. The lawsuit has been concluded within four months of its filing, as the American composers who brought the suit have withdrawn it.

According to the U.S. Central District Court of California, three American composers withdrew the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against HYBE and others on the 4th (local time), which they had filed in July. The presiding judge closed the case that day.

The plaintiffs completed the demo song 'SWIM' in March 2025. They shared this demo with several music industry figures. Among them was the publishing company APG. They claimed that APG shared it with Derek Milano, a co-composer of 'SWIM'.

The plaintiffs argued that the two songs shared similar distinctive harmonies, melodic progressions in key parts, and repeating eighth-note rhythms. They also stated that the lyrical theme of "watching someone swimming" originated from their song.

However, the lawsuit ended without court proceedings due to the plaintiffs' withdrawal. HYBE had not yet filed an official response. Big Hit Music had directly refuted the plagiarism allegations from the time of the suit.

There was no separate settlement. An HYBE representative told Dispatch on that day, "The plaintiffs unilaterally withdrew the suit," and added, "We never agreed to or compromised on anything. We intended to respond firmly to the end."

Meanwhile, BTS will continue their 'Arirang' Southeast Asia tour starting with Kaohsiung, Taiwan on the 19th, followed by 15 sessions across 5 cities including Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Jakarta next month.

<Photo source=Big Hit Music>