OpenAI must stop using ‘Cameo’ term in Sora app, judge rules

Source: Mashable Tech

OpenAI may soon have to find a new name for the “Cameo” feature in its AI video generator app Sora.

A judge has issued a preliminary win to Cameo, the online platform where consumers can purchase custom videos from celebrities, in its trademark‑infringement lawsuit against OpenAI. The court’s preliminary order can be viewed in the PDF filing.

Cameo argued that OpenAI’s “Cameo” feature would likely cause confusion among consumers. U.S. District Judge Eumi Lee agreed, at least preliminarily. Previously, OpenAI renamed the feature “Characters” after the same judge issued a temporary restraining order, as reported by TechCrunch.

Judge’s Findings

“In sum, OpenAI uses ‘cameo’ as the app‑defining feature to promote the Sora application; it uses it in a manner derived from Plaintiff’s CAMEO® mark; it is employing a nearly identical marketing strategy; and it is using ‘cameo’ to describe realistic AI‑videos that are, at times, indistinguishable from Plaintiff’s authentic Cameo Videos,”
— Judge Eumi Lee, preliminary order

The judge also highlighted concerning content generated with Sora’s cameo feature:

“Plaintiff’s concern is based on troubling content already generated on the Sora application. For example, within the first few weeks of launching Sora 2, users began generating and sharing ‘hyper‑realistic deepfake videos’ of Martin Luther King, Jr. doing ‘crude, offensive or racist things,’ including videos of him stealing from a grocery store and fleeing from police.”

How the Feature Works

Within Sora, users can opt in to a feature that allows their likeness to be used in AI‑generated content. OpenAI has continued to label this feature “Cameo” despite the lawsuit.

Cameo’s Business Model

Cameo lets consumers pay celebrities to record real custom videos for personal greetings, holiday gifts, birthday messages, and more. See examples of these gifts in Mashable’s list of best Christmas gifts 2025. The company argues that an AI product with the same name that generates videos would likely cause brand confusion.

OpenAI’s Response

“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,”
— OpenAI spokesperson, reported by Reuters

Related Legal Issues

OpenAI has faced several legal challenges related to copyright infringement. After backlash over alleged copyright violations on the Sora video app, the company introduced an opt‑out option for copyright holders, as detailed in Mashable’s coverage of the opt‑out feature.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging that OpenAI infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.