*Olivia Dean’s song “I’ve Seen It” sits at the center of a new copyright lawsuit involving Bill Withers’ Grammy-winning classic “Just the Two of Us.”
Mattie Music Group, which publishes Withers’ catalog, filed the complaint Oct. 1 in federal court in Los Angeles. The company alleges Dean’s song copied protected musical elements from the 1981 hit. According to Rolling Stone, the publisher hired musicologist Alexander Stewart to compare the recordings.
The lawsuit says Stewart found “substantial similarities in protectable musical expression,” including repeated use of what the complaint describes as a “distinctively protectable melody.”
Mattie Music says it notified the defendants about the alleged infringement on Aug. 17. The company claims they continued distributing and licensing “I’ve Seen It” without changing its songwriting credits.
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However, Dean isn’t personally named as a defendant. Her co-writers, Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang, also aren’t individual defendants. Instead, the lawsuit targets Capitol Records, Universal Music Group and publishing companies connected to the song. Mattie Music seeks damages to be determined at trial.
“I’ve Seen It” closes Dean’s 2025 album “The Art of Loving,” which includes her breakout hits “Man I Need” and “So Easy (To Fall in Love).” Dean won the 2026 Grammy for Best New Artist.
“Just the Two of Us” was recorded by jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. with Withers on vocals. Withers co-wrote the song with Ralph MacDonald and William Salter. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy for Best R&B Song. EURweb previously chronicled Withers’ enduring musical legacy following his death in 2020.
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