Bill Withers’ music publisher has filed a copyright lawsuit alleging that Olivia Dean’s song “I’ve Seen It” unlawfully copies musical elements from “Just the Two of Us”.
The action concerns the closing track on Dean’s 2025 album, The Art of Loving. The publisher is challenging companies involved in releasing, licensing, and commercially exploiting the song.
Dean herself is not named as a defendant. The filing presents the publisher’s allegations, rather than a court finding that the song infringes copyright. (digitalmusicnews.com)
What the publisher alleges
Mattie Music Group, doing business as Bleunig Music, alleges that the newer song reproduces protected elements of the Withers composition.
Digital Music News identified Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, Sony Music Publishing, and Kobalt among the companies targeted by the action.
The publisher says it notified the defendants of the alleged infringement on 17 August, but that the song continued to be distributed and licensed without changes to its credits.
Its argument focuses on similarities in musical expression, including the melody. It also maintains that the older song’s extensive circulation gave Dean and her co-writers an opportunity to encounter it.
Those assertions form part of the claimant’s case. Whether they establish infringement remains a matter for the legal proceedings. (digitalmusicnews.com)
Musicologist’s assessment forms part of the claim
Complex reported that the publisher commissioned a musicologist to compare the tracks after encountering Dean’s song during the summer.
According to its account of the complaint, the expert identified similarities in protected musical expression, including repeated use of the earlier melody.
That assessment was obtained by the publisher and is evidence that it intends to rely on it. It is not an independent ruling by the Court.
Complex also reported that the company is seeking an injunction against further infringement and profits derived from the disputed song. No award or injunction was announced in that report. (complex.com)
Universal’s response was awaited.
Reuters reported that Universal Music Group representatives did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
The case was filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California under number 2:26-cv-11383.
A lack of an immediate public response does not establish acceptance of the allegations. The defendants’ legal position and any subsequent Court decisions will be important in assessing how the dispute develops. (reuters.com)
A dispute involving two generations of music
“Just the Two of Us” is associated with Withers’ collaboration with saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. Withers’ official biography records that the song earned him the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
His wider catalogue includes “Lean on Me”, “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lovely Day”, with recordings, covers and other uses reaching audiences across several decades.
The biography documents his music’s continued presence in films, television and advertising. That history explains the catalogue’s enduring commercial relevance, although a song’s popularity does not itself establish that a later work infringes it.
The lawsuit concerns the rights claimed in one particular composition, rather than ownership of a musical genre or Withers’ broader style. (billwithers.com)
Dean, meanwhile, has become one of Britain’s most prominent contemporary singers. Universal’s account of the 2026 BRIT Awards records wins for Artist of the Year, Pop Act, and Album of the Year for The Art of Loving.
She also shared the Song of the Year award with Sam Fender for “Rein Me In”. Universal noted that those awards followed her Grammy win for Best New Artist.
Those achievements provide context for the album’s profile. They have no bearing on whether the publisher can prove its copyright claim. (universalmusic.com)
The difference between a song and its recording
The US Copyright Office’s guidance for musicians explains that a musical composition and a sound recording are separate protected works.
The composition covers the underlying music and accompanying lyrics. The recording is a particular recorded performance. The rights can be owned and licensed separately.
This distinction helps explain why a publisher can bring a claim involving a song even when the performing artist is not a defendant.
The Copyright Office also explains that protection begins when an original work is fixed, for example through a recording or written notation. Registration provides additional legal benefits, including access to federal infringement proceedings for US works.
Its guidance says using another person’s music generally requires permission, an applicable licence, or a legal exception. These are general principles, not a determination of this case. (copyright.gov)
The immediate development is a newly filed dispute. The next substantive information will come from the defendants’ response and the Court’s handling of the publisher’s allegations.
