U.S. court bars OpenAI from using ‘Cameo’

A federal district court in Northern California ruled in favor of Cameo, a platform that allows users to get personalized video messages from celebrities, and ordered OpenAI to stop using “Cameo” in its products and features.

OpenAI was using the “Cameo” name for its AI-powered video generation app Sora 2. Users could use that feature to insert digital likenesses of themselves into AI-generated videos. In a ruling filed Saturday, the court said the name was similar enough to cause user confusion, and rejected OpenAI’s argument that “Cameo” was merely descriptive, finding that “it suggests rather than describes the feature.”

In November, the court granted a temporary restraining order to Cameo and stopped OpenAI from using the word. The AI company then renamed the feature to “Characters” after that order.

“We have spent nearly a decade building a brand that stands for talent-friendly interactions and genuine connection, and we like to say that ‘every Cameo is a commercial for the next one.” Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said in a statement.

“This ruling is a critical victory not just for our company, but for the integrity of our marketplace and the thousands of creators who trust the Cameo name. We will continue to vigorously defend our intellectual property against any platform that attempts to trade on the goodwill and recognition we have worked so hard to establish,” he noted.

“We disagree with the complaint’s assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo,’ and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” an OpenAI spokesperson told Reuters in response to the ruling.

OpenAI has been involved in several intellectual property cases in recent months. Earlier this month, the company ditched “IO” branding around its upcoming hardware products, according to court documents obtained by WIRED. In November, digital library app OverDrive sued OpenAI over its use of “Sora” for its video generation app. The company is also in legal disputes with various artists, creatives, and media groups in various geographies over copyright violations.