Olivia Dean Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Similarities to Bill Withers Classic

British pop star Olivia Dean is facing a copyright lawsuit alleging that her song “I’ve Seen It” copies elements of Bill Withers’ 1981 soul classic “Just The Two of Us.” Mattie Music Group, which manages Withers’ catalog, filed the complaint in federal court in Los Angeles, claiming the songs share musical features that are too striking to be coincidental. Dean’s label Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Publishing and Kobalt are among the companies named as defendants.


According to the lawsuit, Mattie Music Group hired a musicologist to examine both songs, with the expert allegedly finding substantial similarities and repeated copying of a distinctive melody. The publisher says it notified the companies about the alleged infringement in August, but “I’ve Seen It” remained available commercially. Dean and her co-writers, Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang, are not personally named as defendants. Representatives for Dean and the companies had not publicly responded as of October 2.


“I’ve Seen It” serves as the closing track on Dean’s 2025 album The Art of Loving, which earned her major recognition, including a Brit Award. The intimate acoustic ballad explores the different forms of love in her life. “Just The Two of Us,” recorded by Grover Washington Jr. featuring Withers, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy for Best R&B Song. Withers, who died in 2020, co-wrote the song with Ralph MacDonald and William Salter.

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