Mattie Music Group filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit in Los Angeles on October 1, 2026, accusing Olivia Dean’s closing track I’ve Seen It
of copying the distinctive melody of Bill Withers’ 1981 R&B hit Just the Two of Us
.
The copyright infringement complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, targets major music corporations rather than the songwriters themselves. Mattie Music Group, which operates as Bleunig Music and administers the estate of the late Bill Withers, named Universal Music Group, Capitol Records, Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC, and Kobalt Music Publishing America as defendants in the lawsuit.
Bleunig Music stated in the court filings that it serves as one of the three publishers credited on the 1981 track alongside Antisia Music and BMG Ruby Songs. The original work was co-written by the late Bill Withers alongside Ralph MacDonald and William Salter while Withers was under contract with the company. Mattie Music Group is named after the late crooner’s mother, Mattie, and is operated by his widow, Marcia Johnson. Withers passed away in Los Angeles in March 2020 at the age of 81. His collaboration with Grover Washington Jr. on Just the Two of Us
was released as a single in February 1981 after appearing on the October 24, 1980 album Winelight, eventually claiming the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song at the 1982 ceremony and reaching No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Publisher Hires Musicologist to Examine Both Compositions
According to court filings, the publisher engaged musicologist Alexander Stewart to examine both compositions. Stewart determined that the tracks contain substantial similarities in protectable musical expression, including repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody.
The seven-page complaint details that the musical overlap goes beyond common elements.
The lawsuit points to the extensive commercial reach of the 1981 Withers composition—highlighting decades of radio play, streaming availability, chart success, and numerous cover versions—to argue that Dean and her co-writers had ample opportunity to encounter the original work before creating their own track.
Lawsuit Targets Major Music Corporations Instead of Songwriters
While the lawsuit focuses on the track I’ve Seen It
—the final song on Olivia Dean’s second studio album, The Art of Loving—neither Dean nor her co-writers Bastian Langebaek and Max Wolfgang are named as defendants. The complaint also excludes demands for financial damages from the songwriters themselves.
Instead, the litigation centers on the corporate entities responsible for releasing and licensing the music. The complaint states that Defendants Capitol and UMG distributed and exploited sound recordings of the Infringing Work and Defendants Sony and Kobalt licensed and exploited publishing rights. The lawsuit also includes 50 unnamed Doe
defendants.
Legal representatives for the publisher state that written notice detailing the material musical similarities was sent to the defendants on August 17, 2026. Despite this notification, the complaint alleges that the companies continued reproducing, distributing, licensing, publicly performing and commercially exploiting the track.
Publisher Asks Federal Court for Permanent Injunction and Seizure of Accused Song
Mattie Music Group is asking the federal court for a permanent injunction to restrain further ongoing acts of copyright infringement by the defendants. In addition to a permanent bar against future use, the publisher seeks an award covering its financial losses alongside the profits generated by the defendants from the song.
The plaintiff has also requested that the court order the seizure and destruction of all copies of the accused song, alongside attorney fees and legal costs.