Celebrity video platform Cameo has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the ChatGPT maker of using its brand name “Cameo” without authorization in the newly released Sora 2 app.
The company claims the AI firm’s use of the name directly competes with its core business and threatens to damage the reputation it has built around authentic celebrity-fan interactions.
The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in a California federal court, centers on Sora 2’s “cameo” feature, which allows users to create AI-generated deepfake avatars of themselves — or of public figures — that can be inserted into videos. Cameo argues that the feature’s name, combined with its ability to generate synthetic celebrity content, risks misleading users into thinking the service is affiliated with or endorsed by the real Cameo brand.
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In its filing, the company said OpenAI’s use of the term is “highly likely to dilute and tarnish Cameo’s branding by confusing consumers to associate it with ersatz, hastily made AI slop and deepfakes featuring celebrities.”
Background: Two Very Different “Cameos”
Founded in 2017, Cameo built its brand around personal, authentic, and human connections between fans and celebrities. Through its platform, users can commission short personalized video messages or live video calls from celebrities, influencers, athletes, and other public figures. The company has signed up thousands of entertainers, turning personalized shout-outs into a booming niche industry.
OpenAI’s Sora, by contrast, is a social AI video generator that produces hyperrealistic clips using text or image prompts. Its latest version, Sora 2, launched on September 30, introduced the “cameo” feature — a tool that allows users to upload a likeness of themselves (or another person) to appear in AI-generated videos. Some well-known figures have voluntarily uploaded their likenesses to participate, but reports suggest that the platform’s inadequate safeguards have allowed for the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes, raising fresh concerns about misuse.
Cameo’s Allegations Against OpenAI
In its lawsuit, Cameo contends that OpenAI “intentionally selected” the term “cameo” to exploit the goodwill and public recognition of Cameo’s brand, describing the move as a calculated attempt to trade on the company’s established reputation for authentic celebrity engagement.
Cameo also says that third-party websites and forums have emerged since the Sora 2 launch that specifically highlight or market OpenAI’s “cameo” feature, adding to user confusion and further eroding the distinctiveness of Cameo’s trademark.
“We do not take litigation lightly. While we attempted to resolve this matter with OpenAI amicably, they refused to stop using the Cameo name for their new Sora feature,” Cameo CEO Steven Galanis told The Verge. “To protect fans, talent, and the integrity of our marketplace, we felt that we unfortunately had no other option but to bring this lawsuit.”
The company is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a court injunction to block OpenAI from using “cameo” or “cameos” in any of its product names or marketing.
OpenAI Pushes Back
OpenAI has rejected Cameo’s claims, insisting that the word “cameo” is too generic to be exclusively owned by any single company.
“We’re reviewing the complaint, but we disagree with these claims and will defend our view that no one can claim exclusive ownership over the word ‘cameo’,” OpenAI spokesperson Oscar Haines said in a statement.
The company has not commented on whether it plans to rename the feature, but has maintained that Sora’s tools are designed to encourage creativity and responsible AI use, not to infringe on trademarks or undermine existing businesses.
The Lawsuit, Beyond Cameo
The lawsuit comes amid growing legal and ethical scrutiny surrounding AI-generated media, particularly deepfakes that use the likenesses of real people without consent. The “cameo” feature in Sora has sparked public backlash and questions about how AI companies balance innovation with privacy and intellectual property rights.
Cameo’s case is expected to test the boundaries of trademark protection in the age of generative AI, where words with common meanings are being reinterpreted as digital features or product names. If Cameo wins, the lawsuit could compel AI developers to tread more carefully when naming new tools that resemble established brands.
The case adds to a widening list of legal challenges facing OpenAI, which has also been sued by authors, publishers, and media organizations over the use of copyrighted material to train its AI models.