Olivia Dean Song Lawsuit: Bill Withers' 'Just the Two of Us' Allegedly Copied

Mattie Music Group, which manages Bill Withers' music catalog, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court. The suit claims Olivia Dean's song "I've Seen It" substantially resembles Withers' 1981 Grammy-winning hit, "Just the Two of Us." The lawsuit asserts the songs share "striking" musical similarities that suggest more than coincidence.

According to the suit, the writers of "I've Seen It" had access to Withers' original song. Named as co-defendants are Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing, and Kobalt Music Publishing America. Dean herself is not a defendant.

The lawsuit states that defendants continued to reproduce, distribute, license, publicly perform, and commercially exploit "I've Seen It" after being notified. The case does not seek damages from Dean or her co-writers, Basitan Langebæk and Max Wolfgang.

"I've Seen It" has approximately 248 million streams on Spotify, while "Just the Two of Us" has accumulated 948 million streams.

Dean previously described writing "I've Seen It" about her varied experiences of love, inspired after consuming red wine. She called the finished track a beautiful reflection on love in friendships, family, and even among strangers.