Federal court rules that OpenAI must stop using the term 'Cameo'

Source: Engadget

Cameo, the platform where celebrities sell short, personalized videos, has secured a preliminary win in a trademark lawsuit against OpenAI. A California judge ruled that OpenAI’s video‑generation tool Sora cannot use the term “cameo” or any variation likely to cause confusion. The temporary restraining order was originally granted in November of last year.

Court ruling

The suit stemmed from a feature in the Sora app at launch called “Cameo,” which allowed users to add any likeness to videos they generated. Cameo argued that this use was likely to cause confusion and could dilute its brand. Despite the lawsuit, OpenAI continued offering the feature.

U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee ruled on Saturday that Cameo’s lawsuit was likely to succeed and issued a preliminary injunction, blocking OpenAI from continuing to use the name. An OpenAI spokesperson responded, “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,” according to Reuters.

Broader context

This case is part of a growing wave of intellectual‑property litigation targeting AI companies as video‑generation capabilities improve. Rights holders—including authors, music publishers, and major movie studios—have taken OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and others to court to protect their IP.

Original article: Engadget