Olivia Dean faces a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by Mattie Music Group over her song "I’ve Seen It," which allegedly copies elements from Bill Withers’ classic “Just the Two of Us.” The plaintiffs claim that substantial aspects of Dean’s track, including its melody, closely resemble Withers’ 1981 hit. Mattie hired a musicologist who concluded there are significant similarities between the two songs, suggesting intentional copying rather than coincidence. Defendants in the lawsuit include Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Group's Capitol Records, alongside Kobalt Music Publishing America, Wolfgang’s publisher.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
British pop star Olivia Dean has been accused by Mattie Music Group, which manages Bill Withers' musical catalog, of copying his soul classic "Just The Two of Us" for her song "I've Seen It". This lawsuit, filed in California in August 2026, claims that Dean's melody bears "substantial similarities" to Withers' hit from 1981, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and gained renewed popularity on TikTok recently. A musicologist hired by Mattie Music Group concluded that repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody in Dean's track indicates copyright infringement. The lawsuit names Capitol Records and Universal Music Group as defendants but does not seek damages from Dean herself or her co-writers Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang.
Written for “Olivia Dean Plagiarism Accusations” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Olivia Dean has been accused of plagiarizing the Bill Withers classic Just the Two of Us.
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Dean → accuse → Us
The owners of Withers’ back catalogue aimed that allegation at his fellow Grammy winner in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed on Thursday in US federal court in Los Angeles.
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owners → aim → Angeles
Mattie Music Group contended that Dean’s track I’ve Seen It stole “substantial” aspects of Withers’ 1981 collaboration with Grover Washington Jr, which ascended to No 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 before enjoying a comeback much more recently on the TikTok social media platform.
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which → contend → platform
“In early August 2026, upon listening several times to I’ve Seen It, representatives of plaintiff came to what they considered to be the obvious and inescapable conclusion that I’ve Seen It copied in large and significant part [Just the Two of Us], including without limitation repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody, and clearly infringed plaintiff’s copyrights in and to the original work,” Mattie’s lawsuit said.
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lawsuit → listen → work
Mattie’s lawsuit recounted how the group hired musicologist Alexander Stewart to analyze I’ve Seen It and compare it to Just the Two of Us.
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I → recount → Us
Stewart “concluded that the works contain substantial similarities in protectable musical expression”, according to the plaintiff.
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works → conclude → plaintiff
“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,” Mattie’s lawsuit continued.
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lawsuit → share → elements
The lawsuit does not list as defendants Dean or her I’ve Seen It collaborators, Bastian Langbaek and Max Wolfgang, but alleges the three “had a reasonable opportunity to encounter the original work before creating I’ve Seen It”, the last track on Dean’s 2025 album The Art of Loving.
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I → list → Loving
Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Group’s Capitol Records – Dean’s publisher and record label, respectively – were named as defendants by Mattie.
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Publishing → name → Mattie
Mattie’s lawsuit added the plaintiff provided “written notice to each defendant identifying the registration, the accused composition and the material musical similarities” on 17 August.
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plaintiff → add → August
But, the lawsuit said, “defendants continued reproducing, distributing, licensing, publicly performing and commercially exploiting” I’ve Seen It.
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I → say → It
Beside damages, the lawsuit said it seeks an injunction that permanently would “restrain further ongoing acts of copyright infringement by [the] defendants”.
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that → say → defendants
Representatives for Dean, Capitol Records and Kobalt did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Guardian on Friday.
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Representatives → respond → Friday
Billboard reported that a Kobalt representative declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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representative → report → lawsuit
Dean, 27, won the Grammy award for best new artist in February.
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Dean → win → February
The London native has also won four Brit awards, including for album of the year with The Art of Loving.
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native → win → Loving
Furthermore, on 31 July, Dean and Sam Fender’s Rein Me In became the longest-running No 1 single in UK history.
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Rein → rein → history
His and Washington’s Just the Two of Us won the 1981 Grammy for best R&B song.
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Two → win → song
Mattie Music Group administers Withers’ estate after his death in Los Angeles at age 81 in March 2020.
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Group → administer → March
It is named after the crooner’s late mother, Mattie, and run by his widow, Marcia Johnson.
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It → name → widow
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