One of Olivia Dean‘s songs is at the center of a new copyright lawsuit.
The 27-year-old Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s track “I’ve Seen It,” which appears on her 2025 album The Art of Loving, has been accused of copying elements of Bill Withers‘ classic song “Just the Two of Us.”
Mattie Music Group, which does business as Bleunig Music and represented the late singer-songwriter, filed the copyright infringement lawsuit on Thursday (October 1) in federal court in California.
The complaint names Universal Music Group’s Capitol Records, Sony Music Publishing, and Kobalt Music Publishing America, according to Reuters and Music Business Worldwide.
What does the lawsuit claim?
The publisher alleges that “I’ve Seen It” copies protected musical elements from “Just the Two of Us,” specifically pointing to what it describes as the song’s “distinctively protectable melody.”
According to the complaint, representatives for the company noticed the alleged similarities in August 2026 and brought in musicologist Alexander Stewart to compare the two compositions. The lawsuit says his preliminary analysis found substantial similarities in protectable musical expression.
“Independently of the widespread-dissemination evidence, the number, character, and arrangement of the shared musical features are so striking that they support an inference that the similarities did not result from coincidence, independent creation, or reliance on common musical elements,” the lawsuit reads.
The company says its notified the defendants about its concerns on August 17 but alleges that the song continued to be distributed, licensed, and performed afterward. The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages as well as an injunction against further alleged infringement.
“I’ve Seen It” was co-written by Olivia, Bastian Langebaek, and Max Wolfgang and serves as the closing track on her album. Neither Olivia nor her two co-writers are currently listed as defendants, but Music Business Worldwide notes the lawsuit is also suing “50 ‘Doe’ defendants,” whose real names will be released “once known.”
“Just the Two of Us,” meanwhile, was co-written by Bill Withers, Ralph MacDonald, and William Salter, and was famously recorded by Grover Washington Jr. with Bill on vocals. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
Olivia has had a huge year of her own, winning Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys after the breakout success of The Art of Loving.
The post Olivia Dean Song ‘I’ve Seen It’ Accused of Copying Bill Withers’ ‘Just the Two of Us’ in New Lawsuit appeared first on Just Jared – Celebrity News, Entertainment News & Photos.
