A music publisher associated with Bill Withers’ catalog has filed a copyright lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court alleging that Olivia Dean’s song “I’ve Seen It” copied protected musical elements from “Just the Two of Us.” The complaint was filed October 1 by Mattie Music Group, doing business as Bleunig Music, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
The lawsuit names Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing as defendants. It does not name Dean or her co-writers, Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang, as defendants. The complaint alleges that the companies distributed, licensed or otherwise exploited the song despite notice of the claimed infringement.
Mattie Music alleges that a musicologist it retained found substantial similarities in protectable musical expression, including what the publisher characterizes as repeated copying of the earlier song’s melody. The publisher seeks damages, any profits attributable to the alleged infringement, attorneys’ fees and an injunction against further infringement.
The filing contains allegations that have not been tested in court, and no judge has made a finding that “I’ve Seen It” infringes copyright. Bloomberg Law and Music Business Worldwide reported that representatives for the defendant music companies had not immediately responded to requests for comment. The case is Mattie Music Group d/b/a Bleunig Music v. Capitol Records LLC et al., No. 2:26-cv-11383.
Sources
Featured image: