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Mattie Music Group, the publisher of Bill Withers’ song "Just the Two of Us," has filed a lawsuit against Olivia Dean’s label for alleged melody theft in her 2025 song "I’ve Seen It." The complaint, obtained by Fox News Digital, claims that "I’ve Seen It" contains striking similarities to the Grammy-winning classic. Musicologist Alexander Stewart was hired by Mattie Music Group after noticing the resemblance in August 2026, and his analysis reportedly found substantial musical similarities. The lawsuit targets major music companies but not Dean personally, seeking damages and an injunction against further use of "I’ve Seen It."
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In October 2026, a lawsuit was filed by Mattie Music Group, the publisher of Bill Withers' catalog, against singer Olivia Dean and her label. The complaint centers around allegations that Dean's song "I've Seen It," released in 2025, copies the melody of Withers’ Grammy-winning track “Just the Two of Us.” According to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital, the two songs share "obvious and inescapable similarities" in their musical elements. The case claims that Dean's work repeatedly borrows a "distinctively protectable melody," leading Mattie Music Group to file the suit following an August 2026 discovery of these alleged similarities.
Written for “Song Copyright Controversy” on 2026-10-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Olivia Dean song accused of ripping melody from Bill Withers’ ‘Just the Two of Us’
By
asserted
song → accuse → Us
Olivia Dean’s music collided with a Grammy-winning classic in a new lawsuit accusing the singer of repeatedly copying the melody of Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.”
asserted
music → collide → Us
Dean’s label was sued by Mattie Music Group, the publisher of Withers’ catalog, Friday.
asserted
label → sue → catalog
Dean’s 2025 song, “I’ve Seen It,” and Withers’ hit classic have “obvious and inescapable similarities,” according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.
uncertain
I → see → Digital
“The number, character and arrangement of the shared musical features are so striking that they support an interference that the similarities did not result from coincidence, independent creation or reliance on common musical elements,” the lawsuit claimed.
asserted
lawsuit → share → elements
At the heart of the case is the allegation that “I’ve Seen It” repeatedly copies the “distinctively protectable melody” of “Just the Two of Us.”
asserted
I → see → Us
After coming across the song in August 2026, Mattie Music Group hired musicologist Alexander Stewart, whose preliminary analysis allegedly found substantial similarities in protectable musical expression.
uncertain
analysis → come → expression
Mattie Music Group insisted Withers’ original song was so widely disseminated that Dean and co-writers Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang had a reasonable opportunity to encounter it.
asserted
Dean → insist → it
“Just the Two of Us” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, won a Grammy Award and received decades of radio play and streams.
asserted
Two → reach → play
It has also been covered by a number of artists.
asserted
It → cover → artists
The label reportedly notified the companies of the alleged infringement on Aug. 17, 2026, but claims they continued commercially exploiting the song afterward.
uncertain
they → notify → song
The federal lawsuit targets Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing — not Dean personally — and seeks damages, profits and an injunction against further alleged infringement.
asserted
lawsuit → target → infringement
Withers broke through in 1971 with “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which earned him his first Grammy.
asserted
which → break → Grammy
His catalog includes classics such as “Lean on Me,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Grandma’s Hands” and “Just the Two of Us.
asserted
catalog → include → Us
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