{"id":11135,"date":"2026-07-14T18:59:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T18:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/bts-swim-lawsuit-bad-bunny-ruling-taylor-swift-case-music-law-recap\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T18:59:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T18:59:58","slug":"bts-swim-lawsuit-bad-bunny-ruling-taylor-swift-case-music-law-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatrustedlawyers.com\/blog\/bts-swim-lawsuit-bad-bunny-ruling-taylor-swift-case-music-law-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"BTS Swim Lawsuit, Bad Bunny Ruling, Taylor Swift Case: Music Law Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tIt was a busy week for the copyright lawyers over at HYBE, as the kpop giant was hit with not one but two<\/em> separate infringement lawsuits over songs by BTS and NewJeans.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a case filed Tuesday, a company called All Surface Publishing claimed that the 2023 NewJeans song \u201cETA,\u201d a minor hit, stole multiple elements from an instrumental dance track called \u201cSamir\u2019s Theme\u201d that had been released nearly two decades earlier.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThen on Wednesday (July 8), an even bigger claim: That BTS\u2019s \u201cSwim\u201d \u2014 a smash hit that debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 as the lead track off ARIRANG<\/em> and spent 15 weeks on the chart \u2014 lifted material from an unpublished demo by three little-known songwriters. The case cited an expert report that \u201cunequivocally\u201d concludes the BTS track copied the earlier song.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe report\u2019s author, musicologist Alexander Stewart, is a name music lawyers will recognize. He was retained by the accusers in the high-profile copyright case against Ed Sheeran over Marvin Gaye\u2019s \u201cLet\u2019s Get It On,\u201d as well as by the plaintiffs in a similar infringement case against Led Zeppelin over \u201cStairway To Heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn both cases, of course, those claims were later rejected by juries.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou\u2019re reading The Legal Beat, a weekly newsletter about music law from <\/em>Billboard Pro, offering you a one-stop cheat sheet of big new cases, important rulings and all the fun stuff in between. To get the newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday, subscribe here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\t\tOther top stories this week\u2026\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t-It ain\u2019t over yet: A self-published Florida poet who claims Taylor Swift stole lyrics filed a quick appeal less than two days after her latest copyright case against the superstar was thrown out of court.<\/p>\n

\n\t-Puerto Rico\u2019s Supreme Court ruled Bad Bunny\u2019s ex-girlfriend can keep suing the star for allegedly using her voice without permission on the chart-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\t-In yet more HYBE news: The label initiated legal action to curb the sale of knockoff BTS merch during U.S. stops of the superstar K-pop group\u2019s blockbuster ARIRANG world tour.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2013Boosie Badazz paid $600,000 to a pair of lobbyists to seek a pardon from President Donald Trump and is now taking legal action to demand a refund after it never materialized.<\/p>\n

\n\t-A New York appeals court rejected 50 Cent\u2019s request to automatically win a lawsuit against an ex-girlfriend over her \u201ctell-all\u201d Instagram posts \u2014 not a huge shock after how arguments went.<\/p>\n

\n\t-A judge issued an early-stage ruling in the legal battle between Fuerza Regida and its label Rancho Humilde, saying it was too early to decide the case\u2019s core question about the band\u2019s record deal.<\/p>\n

\n\t-StubHub was hit with a class action in the wake of reporting that its CEO is also the managing partner of a ticket broker that has made millions of dollars on the platform.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2013Nicki Minaj allegedly owes $230,000 in legal bills to lawyers who defended her against recent accusations of copyright infringement and is facing a looming default judgment.<\/p>\n

\n\t-The composer of the Zulu chant from The Lion King\u2019s \u201cCircle of Life\u201d dropped his lawsuit against a comedian who joked about the song on a podcast. But the case isn\u2019t over quite yet.<\/p>\n

\n\t-Insomniac Events reached a settlement that will keep the global dance music company involved in two Miami venues following a protracted legal battle.<\/p>\n

\n\t-iHeartMedia agreed resolved an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) into whether the radio giant offers artists airplay in exchange for free event performances.<\/p>\n

\n\t-The rock band Lit reached a settlement to end an $800,000 lawsuit against Sony Music over streaming royalties for \u201cMy Own Worst Enemy and the rest of their \u201990s catalog.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2013Sam Smith and Normani once again asked a judge to throw out a never-ending copyright case over their 2019 hit \u201cDancing With a Stranger,\u201d arguing the case \u201cdoes not come close\u201d to succeeding.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
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