Mattie Music Group, the publisher behind Bill Withers‘ catalog, and his label, Bleunig Music, have sued Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, Sony Music Publishing and Kobalt over the Olivia Dean track “I’ve Seen It” from her 2025 album The Art of Loving. The complaint alleges that the song unlawfully copies Withers’ 1981 hit “Just the Two of Us.” Dean herself, and her co-writers Bastian Bangebæk and Max Wolfgang, are not named as defendants.
The claims
The plaintiffs argue that “I’ve Seen It” has “obvious and inescapable” similarities to the earlier song. The filing cites a musicologist who found “substantial similarities in protectable musical expression,” pointing to the original’s distinctive melody, which the plaintiffs say is protected by copyright.
The complaint stresses the original’s reach to argue the writers could have encountered it:
“Because of the Original Work’s extraordinary and sustained commercial dissemination, including its Billboard success, Grammy recognition, decades of radio play, widespread streaming availability, and numerous commercially released cover versions, Olivia Dean, Bastian Bangebæk, and Max Wolfgang had a reasonable opportunity to encounter the Original Work before creating ‘I’ve Seen It.’”
It also says the defendants took part in using and licensing the track: “Defendants UMG, Kobalt, and Sony, directly, and/or through their various subsidiaries and affiliates, were involved in the use, licensing, and other exploitation of [Dean’s track] for financial gain.”
Background
“Just the Two of Us” was released in February 1981, reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won that year’s Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. The Art of Loving is Dean’s second album, and in 2026 she won the Grammy for Best New Artist. The lawsuit asks the court to determine and award damages for the alleged infringement.
