REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
- Cameo sued OpenAI and accused it of trademark infringement over Sora’s “Cameo” feature.
- Cameo says OpenAI’s use of the word “Cameo” confuses consumers and dilutes its brand.
- Cameo is seeking a court order to stop OpenAI from using the “Cameo” name.
OpenAI’s Sora is facing a legal battle.
Cameo, the startup known for personalized celebrity videos, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against OpenAI, accusing the ChatGPT maker of trademark infringement over its new “Cameo” feature in the Sora video-generation app.
In a complaint filed in the federal court of the Northern District of California on Tuesday, Cameo said OpenAI’s use of the “Cameo” name, which describes a virtual likeness that users can create and share on Sora, is likely to confuse consumers and dilute its brand.
The company argued that OpenAI chose the name “in blatant disregard for the obvious confusion it would create.”
“When naming its new service, OpenAI had a multitude of options to choose from. It could have chosen a descriptive name like ‘virtual likeness’ or ‘avatar,'” wrote Cameo in the complaint.
“OpenAI has made no secret of its ambition to dominate every profitable corner of the Internet with its AI-driven platforms,” the complaint added. “In its rush to dominate new markets, Defendant has once again trampled the intellectual property rights of others.”
In a statement to Business Insider, Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said the company had attempted to settle the dispute “amicably,” but OpenAI refused to change the name.
“To protect fans, talent, and the integrity of our marketplace, we felt that we unfortunately had no other option but to bring this lawsuit,” Galanis added.
Founded in 2017, Cameo lets users pay celebrities for short, personalized videos.
OpenAI’s Sora app, which launched in September, allows users to create AI-generated clips, including hyperrealistic videos featuring celebrities like Mark Cuban and Jake Paul. Cameo said in the complaint that this feature directly competes with its business.
“We’re reviewing the complaint, but we disagree that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo,'” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to Business Insider.
Cameo is seeking monetary damages and a court order barring OpenAI from using the “Cameo” name. The company did not specify how much it is asking for.
It’s not just “Cameo.” OpenAI has been turning to the world of social media in its quest for profitability.
Roughly 20%, or 630 out of OpenAI’s 3,000 employees, were formerly from Meta, tech news outlet The Information reported in October, citing data it analyzed from LinkedIn.
In May, OpenAI announced that Instacart’s then-CEO and chair, Fidji Simo, would be their new CEO of applications. Before helming Instacart, Simo spent over a decade working at Meta, where she oversaw Facebook’s app and advertising products.
OpenAI has also expressed interest in adult content, a feature first released by Elon Musk’s xAI. In July, xAI introduced several AI companions, including Ani, a lingerie-wearing Japanese anime girl, on its Grok platform.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in an X post on October 14 that verified adults will get access to “erotica” on its ChatGPT platform in December. He added the company will roll out “age-gating more fully” alongside this change.
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