Key facts
- Olivia Dean is accused of copying the melody of Bill Withers' "Just The Two of Us" in her song "I've Seen It."
British pop star Olivia Dean is facing a lawsuit alleging her song "I've Seen It" infringes on the melody of Bill Withers' 1981 hit "Just The Two of Us." The publishers of Withers' catalogue claim the songs share striking musical similarities that cannot be coincidental. The lawsuit names Dean's record label and publishing companies as defendants, but not the singer herself.
Copyright infringement lawsuits can lead to significant financial penalties and reputational damage for artists and their associated companies, impacting future revenue streams and artistic credibility.
British pop star Olivia Dean is facing a lawsuit alleging that her song "I've Seen It" infringes on the melody of Bill Withers' 1981 hit "Just The Two of Us." The complaint, filed in California, centers on Dean's song from her 2025 album "The Art of Loving."
Mattie Music Group, the publisher of Withers' catalogue, claims that the two songs "share musical features" that are "so striking" they could not have arisen by coincidence. The group hired a musicologist who concluded that the works contain substantial similarities, including the repeated copying of the melody from "Just The Two of Us."
The lawsuit names Dean's record label Capitol Records, its parent company Universal Music Group, and her publishing companies as defendants. However, it does not seek damages from Dean herself or her co-writers, Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang.
According to legal documents, Mattie Music Group notified Dean's record label of the potential infringement in August, but the music was not removed from distribution. To prove plagiarism, the publishers must demonstrate that Dean and her co-writers had prior access to Withers' original composition. They allege that the song's "extraordinary and sustained" commercial success and "decades of radio play" provided the musicians with a "reasonable opportunity" to have encountered "Just The Two of Us" before writing "I've Seen It."
"I've Seen It" has been streamed approximately 246 million times on Spotify, while Withers' "Just The Two of Us" has garnered 948 million plays. Withers' track reached number two on the US charts in 1981 and won a Grammy for best R&B song. He passed away in 2020.
Dean's album "The Art of Loving" reached number three in the US and number one in the UK, earning her the Brit Award for album of the year. Dean herself received the best new artist award at this year's Grammys.
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