Bill Withers Publisher Sues UMG, Sony, Kobalt Over Alleged Olivia Dean Copyright Infringement

Bill Withers’ publisher sues UMG, Sony, and Kobalt, claiming Olivia Dean’s ‘I’ve Seen It’ copies ‘Just the Two of Us’

October 2, 2026 By Mandy Dalugdug

Bill Withers ‘ publisher is suing UMG , Capitol Records , Sony ‘s publishing arm, and Kobalt over an Olivia Dean track.

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Mattie Music Group , which does business as Bleunig Music , claims that Dean’s I’ve Seen It copies the melody of Just the Two of Us , the 1981 hit co-written by Withers.

Under its Bleunig Music name, the company is one of three publishers credited on Just the Two of Us , alongside Antisia Music and BMG Ruby Songs . Neither of the other two has joined the case.

The complaint describes Mattie Music Group as “a copyright proprietor” of the composition, and says Withers was signed to it as a songwriter when he co-wrote the song.

The publisher says its representatives reached what they considered the “obvious and inescapable conclusion” that I’ve Seen It copied the Withers track.

The seven-page complaint was filed on Thursday (October 1) in federal court in Los Angeles , under case number 2:26-cv-11383 . The filing, obtained by MBW , can be read in full here .

I’ve Seen It is the closing track on Dean’s second album, The Art of Loving , which Capitol released on or about September 26, 2025 , according to the complaint.

The filing credits the song to Dean, Bastian Langebaek , and Max Wolfgang .

Neither Dean nor her two co-writers on the track are named as defendants, though the complaint also sues 50 “Doe” defendants and says it will add their real names once known.

Instead, the suit targets the companies behind the recording and the song: Capitol Records, LLC ; Universal Music Group , Inc. , named in the complaint as a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business in Los Angeles County; a Sony publishing company named as Sony Publishing (US) LLC , doing business as Sony/ATV Songs LLC ; and Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc. , doing business as Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing .

UMG ‘s US recorded-music company is ordinarily named in litigation as UMG Recordings, Inc. , and Sony ‘s US publishing company as Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC .

MBW has contacted Capitol parent UMG , Sony , and Kobalt for comment. None had responded at the time of publication.

The complaint refers to Just the Two of Us as the “Original Work.” It calls Dean ‘s song the “Infringing Work,” a term it uses from the middle of the filing onward without expressly defining it.

It 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 in the Infringing Work.”

> “Defendants Capitol and UMG distributed and exploited sound recordings of the Infringing Work and Defendants Sony and Kobalt licensed and exploited publishing rights in the Infringing Work.” Mattie Music Group ‘s complaint

“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 the Original Work,” the complaint states, “including without limitation repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody, and clearly infringed Plaintiff’s copyrights in and to the Original Work.”

Mattie Music Group then hired musicologist Alexander Stewart to compare the two songs.

“ Dr. Stewart conducted a preliminary musicological comparison and a search for similar prior art and concluded that the works contain substantial similarities in protectable musical expression, including repeated copying of the distinctively protectable melody,” the filing reads.

The complaint argues that the success of Just the Two of Us means Dean and her co-writers could have heard it.

“Because of the Original Work’s extraordinary and sustained commercial dissemination, including its Billboard success, Grammy recognition, decades of radio play, widespread streaming availability, and numerous commercially released cover versions, Olivia Dean , Bastian Langebæk, and Max Wolfgang had a reasonable opportunity to encounter the Original Work before creating I’ve Seen It ,” it states.

The Withers publisher goes further, claiming the overlap between the songs would point to copying even without that evidence of exposure.

“Independently of the widespread-dissemination evidence, the number, character, and arrangement of the shared musical features are so striking that they support an inference that the similarities did not result from coincidence, independent creation, or reliance on common musical elements,” the lawsuit reads.

The publisher says it sent written notice to each defendant on or about August 17, 2026 , identifying its copyright registration for Just the Two of Us , the accused composition, and the material musical similarities. The 1981 registration certificate was filed with the complaint as a separate exhibit.

“ Despite receiving notice , Defendants continued reproducing, distributing, licensing, publicly performing, and commercially exploiting the Infringing Work,” the complaint claims.

> “Despite receiving notice, Defendants continued reproducing, distributing, licensing, publicly performing, and commercially exploiting the Infringing Work.” Mattie Music Group ‘s complaint

The publisher alleges that the infringement by Capitol , UMG , Sony , and Kobalt was, and remains, “willful.”

Mattie Music Group seeks its losses plus the profits the defendants made from the alleged infringement, with “the exact sums to be proven at the time of trial.”

Alternatively, it can opt for statutory damages at any point before final judgment – up to USD $150,000 per work if the infringement is found to be willful.

The publisher is also asking the court to permanently bar the defendants from further infringing its copyright in the Withers song, and to award interest, costs, and attorneys’ fees. It further says it is entitled to an order authorizing the seizure, impounding, or destruction of infringing copies.

Just the Two of Us was co-written by Withers , who died in 2020 , with Ralph MacDonald and William Salter . According to the complaint, a recording featuring jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and lead vocals by Withers was released as a single in February 1981 .

The filing states that the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the Grammy for Best R&B Song.

Dean won the Grammy for Best New Artist in February 2026 , and she was among UMG’s top sellers in Q4 2025 .

In April 2026 , co-writer Langebaek signed a global deal covering his future works with Sony Music Publishing UK and joint venture Second Songs , having previously been signed to Universal Music Publishing Group . Wolfgang is signed to Kobalt worldwide.

The complaint does not set out which publisher administers each writer’s share of I’ve Seen It . Langebaek ‘s Sony deal was announced more than six months after the album’s release and covers works written from that point on.

Copyright claims pitting one hit against another have been tested in US courts before.

In June 2025 , the US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Structured Asset Sales , which claimed that Ed Sheeran ‘s Thinking Out Loud copied Marvin Gaye ‘s Let’s Get It On , leaving lower-court wins for Sheeran, Warner Music Group , and Sony Music Publishing in place. A separate Structured Asset Sales claim, built on the sound recording rather than the sheet music, was left untouched by that ruling. Music Business Worldwide

News United States Bill Withers Capitol Records copyright lawsuits Kobalt Kobalt Music Publishing Kobalt Music Publishing America lawsuits Olivia Dean Sony Music Entertainment Sony Publishing (US) LLC Sony/ATV Songs LLC UMG Recordings Universal Music Group

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_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/bill-withers-publisher-sues-umg-sony-and-kobalt-claiming-olivia-deans-ive-seen-it-copies-just-the-two-of-us/)._