Olivia Dean accused of plagiarism on her I’ve Seen It track

Olivia Dean has been accused of plagiarizing the classic Bill Withers song Just the Two of Us. The allegation comes from Mattie Music Group, the owners of Withers' back catalogue, who filed a copyright infringement lawsuit on Thursday in US federal court in Los Angeles.

Allegations of Infringement

The lawsuit claims that Dean's track I’ve Seen It has copied "substantial" elements from Withers' 1981 hit, which reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and has seen a resurgence on TikTok. According to the lawsuit, representatives of Mattie Music Group concluded that Dean's song copied significant portions of the melody from Just the Two of Us.

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"In early August 2026, upon listening several times to I’ve Seen It, representatives of plaintiff came to what they considered to be the obvious and inescapable conclusion that I’ve Seen It copied in large and significant part [Just the Two of Us], including without limitation repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody, and clearly infringed plaintiff’s copyrights in and to the original work," the lawsuit states.

Expert Analysis

To support their claims, Mattie Music Group hired musicologist Alexander Stewart to analyze both tracks. Stewart concluded that there are substantial similarities in the musical expressions of the two songs. The lawsuit notes:

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Allegations of Infringement

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"In early August 2026, upon listening several times to I’ve Seen It, representatives of plaintiff came to what they considered to be the obvious and inescapable conclusion that I’ve Seen It copied in large and significant part [Just the Two of Us], including without limitation repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody, and clearly infringed plaintiff’s copyrights in and to the original work," the lawsuit states.