A lawsuit has been filed in California alleging that Olivia Dean's song was copied from Bill Withers’s “Just the Two of Us."
Olivia's song named in the lawsuit is titled “I’ve Seen It" which is part of her award-winning 2025 album The Art of Loving. Meanwhile, “Just the Two of Us,” became a hit in 1981 and has remained widely known over the decades.
Filed by Bill's music catalogue publishers, Mattie Music Group, the complaint says that Olivia's song shares musical elements with the classic that are too similar to be considered a coincidence.
“The number, character, and arrangement of the shared musical features are so striking that they support an interference that the similarities did not result from coincidence, independent creation, or reliance on common musical elements,” the complaint reads, according to court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
Mattie Music Group filed the case against Olivia's record label Capitol Records, its parent company Universal Music Group, and her publishing companies.
Olivia herself is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, neither are her co-writers Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang.
According to the complaint, Mattie Music Group first heard “I’ve Seen It” in August 2026. After listening to the track several times, the publishers hired musicologist Alexander Stewart, Ph.D., to conduct a “musicological analysis and comparison” of the two songs.
The lawsuit claims that after analysis, the musicologist found that Olivia's song had “copied in large and significant part” of “Just the Two of Us” and took its “distinctively protectable melody.”
Mattie Music Group said it notified Olivia's record label about the alleged infringement since August. However, the publishers claim that “I’ve Seen It” remains available for distribution.
In the lawsuit, they pointed to the song’s “extraordinary and sustained” commercial success and its “decades of radio play,” arguing that Olivia and her co-writers had a “reasonable opportunity” to encounter the 1981 classic before writing their song.
To prove plagiarism, Mattie Music Group would have to prove that Olivia and her co-writers had previously heard Bill's original composition before creating “I’ve Seen It.”
The lawsuit does not seek damages from Olivia personally, with the claims instead naming Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, and her publishing companies as defendants.
As of now, Olivia has yet to issue a statement addressing the allegations.