UMG sued by Bill Withers' publisher over Olivia Dean song

By Blake Brittain

Oct 1 (Reuters) - The music publisher for late R&B great Bill Withers sued Universal Music Group UMG.AS on Thursday, alleging that an Olivia Dean song from her hit album "The Art of Loving" unlawfully copied Withers' classic "Just the Two of Us."

• Bleunig Music said in the complaint that Dean's "I've Seen It" lifted elements from "Just the Two of Us" including the "distinctively protectable melody" of Withers' song

• Spokespeople for UMG did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint

• Dean herself is not a defendant in the lawsuit

• Bleunig said that Withers was under contract with the company when he co-wrote "Just the Two of Us," which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1981

• "I've Seen It" is the closing song on Dean's breakthrough 2025 album "The Art of Loving," which has been certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America

• Dean won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist earlier this year

The case is Bleunig Music v. Capitol Records LLC, US District Court for the Central District of California, No. 2:26-cv-11383.

For Bleunig: Clair Burrill

For UMG: attorney information not yet available