US court bars OpenAI from using ‘Cameo’

A federal district court in Northern California has ruled in favour of Cameo — the platform where users can pay for personalised video messages from celebrities — and ordered OpenAI to stop using the name “Cameo” in any of its products or features.

OpenAI had been using “Cameo” as the label for a tool inside its AI video-generation app Sora 2. The feature allowed users to place a digital likeness of themselves into AI-generated videos. In an order filed Saturday, the court said the name was close enough to Cameo’s trademark to create a likelihood of consumer confusion. The judge also rejected OpenAI’s claim that the word was simply descriptive, concluding instead that “it suggests rather than describes the feature.”

The dispute has been building for months. In November, the court granted Cameo a temporary restraining order that blocked OpenAI from using the word while the case proceeded. After that order, OpenAI changed the feature name to “Characters.”

“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 added.

OpenAI pushed back on the decision. “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.

The case is the latest in a growing list of intellectual property fights involving OpenAI. Earlier this month, the company dropped “IO” branding tied to 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 product. OpenAI also faces legal disputes with artists, creators, and media organisations in multiple regions over alleged copyright violations.