Olivia Dean's 'I've Seen It' Faces Copyright Suit Over Withers Hit

The publisher behind Bill Withers' catalog has sued Capitol Records and Universal Music Group, claiming Olivia Dean's song "I've Seen It" copies an unmistakable melody from the 1981 Grammy-winning R&B classic "Just the Two of Us."

The seven-page copyright infringement complaint was filed in federal court in Los Angeles and obtained by Rolling Stone. Mattie Music Group, the plaintiff, says the similarities between Dean's song and the Withers hit are "obvious and inescapable."

The publisher cites a musicologist who reviewed both songs and found "substantial similarities" and repeated copying of a "distinctively protectable melody."

"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 states.

The complaint names Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, and Dean's publishing companies as defendants. It does not seek damages from Dean herself, nor from her co-writers on the song, Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang.

Representatives for UMG, which owns Capitol Records, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Attempts to reach a spokesperson for Dean were not immediately successful Thursday.

According to the filing, Mattie Music Group first reached out to the defendants on Aug. 17, notifying them of the alleged infringement. The publisher claims they continued the song's distribution, licensing, and commercial exploitation without any change in credit. Mattie Music Group is seeking damages to be determined at trial.

"I've Seen It" appears on The Art of Loving, Dean's second studio album, released last year. The album also includes the hit singles "Man I Need" and "So Easy (To Fall in Love)." Dean won Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys.

The case adds to a growing docket of high-profile melody disputes in the music industry, and its outcome could test how courts weigh musicological evidence against claims of independent creation.