British pop star Olivia Dean is facing a copyright lawsuit in California over allegations that her song “I’ve Seen It” copies elements of Bill Withers’ soul classic “Just The Two of Us.”
The legal complaint, filed by Mattie Music Group, which manages the late singer’s catalogue, centres on Dean’s track from her Brit Award-winning 2025 album, The Art of Loving.
The publishers allege that the two compositions “share musical features” that are so striking that they could not have resulted from coincidence.
The lawsuit names Dean’s record label, Capitol Records, its parent company Universal Music Group and her publishing companies as defendants. Dean herself and her co-writers, Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang, are not named as defendants and are not being asked to pay damages.
Musicologist hired to examine songs
According to legal documents seen by the BBC, Mattie Music Group commissioned a musicologist to compare the two compositions.
The expert reportedly concluded that “the works contain substantial similarities”, including what the publishers describe as the “repeated copying” of the melody from “Just The Two of Us”.
The publishers said they notified Dean’s record label in August about the alleged infringement, but claimed that the song remained available for distribution.
The defendants have not yet responded to the lawsuit. The BBC said it had contacted them and Dean’s representatives for comment.
Proving access could be key
A central issue in the case could be whether Dean and her co-writers had previously heard Withers’ composition.
In copyright disputes involving alleged musical copying, demonstrating similarities alone does not necessarily establish infringement. The claimant would also need to address whether the creators had access to the earlier work.
Mattie Music Group argues that “Just The Two of Us” enjoyed “extraordinary and sustained” commercial success, including “decades of radio play”, giving Dean and her co-writers a reasonable opportunity to have encountered the song before writing “I’ve Seen It”.
Withers’ recording, released in 1981, reached No. 2 on the US charts and earned the singer a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. The song has remained widely recognised decades after its release.
Withers died in 2020.
Dean’s song became a streaming success
“I’ve Seen It” serves as the closing track on Dean’s breakthrough album, The Art of Loving, which was released in September 2025.
The acoustic ballad explores different forms of love, including romantic feelings, family relationships, friendship and affection between strangers.
Speaking to W Magazine last year, Dean said she wrote the song after “I’d had a lot of red wine”.
“When I heard it back for the first time, I burst into tears. It felt like the loveliest note to end on. Whether it’s within your friends, your family, or just the love that exists in the strangers around you, it’s there, and it’s inside of you, too.”
The song has reportedly accumulated about 246 million Spotify streams, while Withers’ “Just The Two of Us” has recorded approximately 948 million plays on the platform.
Dean’s album has also enjoyed significant commercial and critical recognition. She won Best New Artist at this year’s Grammy Awards, while The Art of Loving reached No. 3 in the United States and No. 1 in the United Kingdom.
The album was also named Album of the Year at the Brit Awards.
The California lawsuit now places one of Dean’s most successful songs at the centre of a copyright dispute involving one of soul music’s most enduring recordings. The case is expected to turn on both the extent of the alleged musical similarities and whether the defendants had access to Withers’ original work.