Brief
Olivia Dean sued over alleged copying of Bill Withers’ classic
Mattie Music Group claims Dean’s song copies the melody of Withers’ hit and seeks damages in court.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Mattie Music Group, the publisher of Bill Withers’ catalog, filed a lawsuit in California on Thursday alleging that Olivia Dean’s 2025 song “I’ve Seen It” from her album *The Art Of Loving* copies the melody of Withers’ 1981 hit “Just the Two of Us.”
The complaint says the musical similarities are “obvious and inescapable,” and that a hired musicologist found Dean’s track copied a “distinctively protectable melody.” The publisher says it first heard Dean’s song in August 2026, hired the expert, and then attempted to contact the defendants—Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing America—without success.
Dean and her co‑writers Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang are not listed as defendants, but the filing alleges they had a reasonable opportunity to hear Withers’ song before writing “I’ve Seen It.” Mattie Music Group is seeking damages to be decided at trial.
Key facts
- Mattie Music Group filed a lawsuit in California alleging Olivia Dean’s song copies Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.” (hollywoodreporter.com)
- The complaint cites a musicological analysis that found Dean’s track copied a protectable melody. (hollywoodreporter.com)
- Defendants listed include Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing America. (hollywoodreporter.com)
Sources
- [1] hollywoodreporter.com — originally reported as “Olivia Dean Song Accused of Plagiarizing Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us””
