Cameo sues OpenAI for using 'Cameo' as the name for its virtual likeness function in the Sora app (www.businessinsider.com)

Cameo, the marketplace that lets users pay celebrities for short personalized videos, filed a federal trademark lawsuit Tuesday against OpenAI, alleging the company infringed its mark by naming a virtual-likeness feature in the Sora video-generation app “Cameo.” The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, says OpenAI’s use of the name is likely to confuse consumers and dilute Cameo’s brand, and seeks monetary damages plus a court order barring OpenAI from using the term. Cameo says it tried to settle but OpenAI refused; OpenAI counters that no one can claim exclusive rights to the common word “cameo.” Sora, launched in September, produces AI-generated, hyperrealistic video clips — including celebrity likenesses — which directly competes with Cameo’s business model. For the AI/ML community the case highlights growing legal friction as generative models move into consumer media and commerce. Beyond a simple naming dispute, the suit underscores pressures around trademark, branding and the commercialization of synthetic likenesses: teams building video, avatar, or virtual-talent features may face IP claims even when using descriptive names. The outcome could set precedents on how broadly common words can be protected in the context of AI-driven products and could influence naming, product rollout strategies, and how companies approach celebrity likeness and marketplace competition in the generative-AI era.