BTS wins US copyright lawsuit over unpublished song

A federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit against BTS, Big Hit Music, HYBE, and HYBE America. The lawsuit, filed by songwriter Melissa Mays on August 25, alleged that the group used her unpublished musical work without authorization.

Judge Leonie Brinkema initially dismissed the complaint in September for failing to provide legally sufficient claims. Although Mays submitted an amended complaint on October 8, the court dismissed the revised filing on October 22, ruling that it still failed to identify specific infringing tracks or provide sufficient evidence to support the allegations.

While this specific case has concluded, BTS faces a separate ongoing copyright dispute in California. Composers Steve Cooper, John Sandler, and Graylin Johnson have sued over the song “SWIM” from the group’s fifth studio album, “ARIRANG,” alleging it borrows from a demo they completed in March 2025. Unlike the dismissed case, this suit includes musicological analysis regarding similarities in melody, harmony, and lyrics. Big Hit Music has denied these allegations, stating the song was created independently.