A U.S. federal court has temporarily prohibited the use of the names ‘Cameos’ and ‘CameoVideo’ in marketing related to OpenAI’s artificial intelligence (AI) video generation tool ‘Sora’.
Judge Eumi K. Lee of the Northern District Court of California issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against OpenAI on November 22, local time, requiring the immediate cessation of the use of these names. The court stated that this measure is temporary, with additional proceedings scheduled for December 19 to reach a substantive judgment.
This lawsuit originated from a trademark infringement and unfair competition suit filed last month by the Chicago-based technology company Baron App. Known for its product name ‘Cameo’, the company operates a platform where fans can request personalized videos, such as birthday greetings, from celebrities.
The company holds numerous trademark registrations in the United States and argued in this lawsuit that “OpenAI is directly competing using our trademark.” Cameo, featuring videos from celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Tony Hawk, Jon Bon Jovi, and Donald Trump Jr., gained significant popularity, logging over 100 million views last year alone.
The legal dispute began when OpenAI announced an update for ‘Sora’ last September. At that time, OpenAI introduced a new feature allowing users to manipulate scanned faces in an AI-based environment, naming it ‘Cameos’. YouTube influencer and OpenAI investor Jake Paul participated in promoting the feature, which saw the ‘Sora’ app surpass 1 million downloads within five days of release.
According to the court order, OpenAI and its employees are prohibited from “using the ‘Cameo’ name or any similar names that could cause confusion,” and it specified that “the defendant must provide reasons to prevent the issuance of a preliminary injunction.” The order will remain effective until December 22.
Steven Galanis, CEO of Baron App Cameo, commented, “Though the court’s decision is temporary, we hope OpenAI will permanently cease using our trademark,” and added, “We aim to swiftly resolve this controversy and focus on our core business of connecting fans with artists.”
An OpenAI spokesperson stated, “No one can claim exclusive rights to the term ‘Cameo’ and we will clearly explain our position in court.”
This measure comes as OpenAI’s image generation technology, which enables the likeness of real or deceased individuals to be recreated, has become embroiled in recent Hollywood controversies over unauthorized use of celebrity images, drawing increasing ethical and legal discussion.