OpenAI Forced to Rebrand Sora Feature Over Trademark Dispute
A federal judge has dealt a significant blow to OpenAI’s video generation capabilities, temporarily blocking the company from using the term “Cameo” in its Sora app following a trademark infringement lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee issued a temporary restraining order on Friday that prevents OpenAI from using “Cameos,” “CameoVideo,” or any confusingly similar names for elements of its AI video products.
The legal battle stems from a complaint filed on October 28 by Cameo, a Chicago-based tech company that operates a platform enabling fans to book personalized video messages from celebrities. The eight-year-old company holds several U.S. trademark registrations for its Cameo product and alleged that OpenAI’s September update to Sora—which introduced a feature also called “Cameos”—constitutes trademark infringement and unfair competition.
The Core Dispute: Direct Competition
Cameo’s lawsuit argues that OpenAI is directly competing using the company’s own trademark. OpenAI’s Cameos feature allows users to scan their faces and permit others to manipulate their facial images within AI-generated environments—a capability that directly parallels Cameo’s celebrity video personalization service.
The timing of the rollout proved problematic for OpenAI. Within just five days of launching the feature, the Sora app surpassed 1 million downloads. Celebrity investors, including YouTube influencer and boxer Jake Paul, participated in promoting OpenAI’s Cameos rollout, amplifying the feature’s visibility.
In response, OpenAI stated that it disagrees with the assertion that “anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo’” and indicated it would continue defending its position in court.
Legal Timeline and Next Steps
Judge Lee’s temporary restraining order remains in effect until December 22, 2025. However, a more significant hearing is scheduled for December 19, where the court will determine whether the temporary block should become a permanent preliminary injunction.
The judge’s decision noted that OpenAI’s claimed harm from the injunction was outweighed by its “likely infringing use of a federally registered mark.”
Cameo’s Position and Public Statement
Cameo CEO Steven Galanis expressed optimism about resolving the dispute, stating: “While the court’s order is temporary, we hope that OpenAI will agree to stop using our mark permanently to avoid any further harm to the public or Cameo. We would like nothing more than to put this behind us so that we can focus our full attention on bringing talent and fans together as we head into the holidays.”
The move reflects broader concerns about celebrity and image protection in AI applications, with numerous incidents of unauthorized celebrity face manipulation raising questions about consent and trademark rights in the artificial intelligence era.
Until December 19, OpenAI faces the challenge of either rebranding the Sora feature or suspending its use entirely, adding another layer of complexity to the company’s rollout strategy for its increasingly popular video generation tool.
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