OpenAI Cameo trademark lawsuit

Photo Credit: OpenAI

Celebrity video platform Cameo is suing over the new “Cameo” feature in OpenAI’s Sora video generation app, arguing it infringes on Cameo’s trademark.

The creator of celebrity video platform Cameo sued OpenAI on Tuesday, alleging that the new “Cameo” feature in OpenAI’s Sora video generation app violates its trademark rights. Founded in 2017, Cameo allows users to pay celebrities to appear in short, personalized videos.

In the complaint, filed in California federal court, Cameo asserted that OpenAI’s Cameo feature, which enables users to create and share their virtual likenesses on Sora, will likely cause consumer confusion and dilute its brand.

According to Cameo CEO Steven Galanis, the company tried to resolve the issue “amicably,” but OpenAI refused to cease its use of the name. Meanwhile, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company is reviewing the complaint, but disagrees that “anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo.’”

Artificial intelligence giant OpenAI launched Sora as a standalone app late last month. The platform allows users to create and share AI-generated videos. Sora users’ likenesses on the app are called “Cameos.” While some famous folks have willingly uploaded their likenesses to the platform, OpenAI’s questionable process has also led to the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes.

Cameo claims that OpenAI chose the name “in blatant disregard for the obvious confusion it would create.” Cameo also claims that because Sora allows users to create videos using celebrity “Cameos,” it puts the AI platform in “direct competition” with Cameo’s platform.

“Users seeking a personalized celebrity video now have a choice—use Plaintiff’s Cameo service to book talent and receive an authentic, custom video prepared by that celebrity, or use Sora’s ‘Cameo’ service to create an extremely realistic AI-generated video featuring a celebrity’s likeness,” the lawsuit reads.

Cameo is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and a court order blocking OpenAI’s further use of the “Cameo” name.