OpenAI was temporarily blocked from using the word “Cameo” in a product that allows users to generate videos based on prompts amid a trademark dispute.
Last year, celebrity video platform Cameo sued OpenAI, accusing the San Francisco company of trademark infringement. People use Cameo to buy personalized videos of celebrities as gifts for friends and loved ones.
Cameo filed the lawsuit after OpenAI introduced a new video feature called Cameo that allows people, including celebrities, to “create virtual likenesses of themselves.”
In an early victory for Cameo, a federal judge in California granted the company’s motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent OpenAI from using the name, according to an order filed over the weekend.
Judge Eumi Kim Lee’s ruling suggests that Cameo is likely to prove that OpenAI infringed its trademark.
“We’ve spent nearly a decade building a brand that stands for talent-friendly interactions and authentic connections,” said Steven Galanis, co-founder and CEO of Cameo. “This ruling is an important victory not only for our company, but also for the integrity of our marketplace and the thousands of talents who rely on the Cameo name.”
OpenAI disputed Cameo’s claims.
“We do not agree with the complaint’s assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership of the word ‘Cameo,’ and we will continue to make that claim,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The legal battle highlights how artificial intelligence is reshaping videos of celebrities and famous creators, and highlights the backlash against AI-generated content.
Chicago-based Cameo expressed concern in its lawsuit that OpenAI’s use of its name could cause consumers to misunderstand that OpenAI’s video capabilities are related to the celebrity video platform.
According to the order, if Cameo’s videos were of real people, it would harm Cameo because its brand would be associated with “AI slops and deepfakes featuring celebrities.”
Cameo also claims that OpenAI has adopted a marketing strategy of using celebrities such as Jake Paul, Mark Cuban, Ricky Berwick, and Snoop Dogg to promote the video generator Sora and its new features. These stars allow users of OpenAI’s Sora to create AI videos featuring celebrities.
Because Cameo and OpenAI’s videos feature the same celebrities, “the two products may be indistinguishable to consumers,” the order states.
