The California federal court has approved a temporary restraining order (TRO) for the celebrity video platform Cameo, ordering OpenAI not to use the word "Cameo" in the Sora app or any of its promotional materials before December 22, 2026. It also prohibits the use of similar spellings such as "Kameo" and "CameoVideo" to avoid consumer confusion.

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Case Background  

In October 2025, OpenAI introduced a "Cameo" feature in its video generation app Sora, allowing users to incorporate celebrity images into AI videos. Cameo immediately filed a lawsuit, claiming that the name infringes on its registered trademark and constitutes direct competition: consumers can choose to book real celebrity videos through the Cameo platform or generate AI deepfake videos using Sora's "Cameo" feature, and the overlapping services may lead to brand dilution.  

Steven Galanis, CEO of Cameo, stated that prior to the lawsuit, they had attempted friendly negotiations, but OpenAI refused to stop using the name; the court has now issued a temporary injunction, and a hearing is scheduled for December 19 to decide whether to convert the injunction into a permanent one.

OpenAI's Position  

An OpenAI spokesperson responded that "Cameo" is a generic term, and no entity has exclusive ownership of it. The company will actively defend its right to use the name in federal court.

Industry Impact  

This case is seen as a landmark case for trademark protection and the ethics of deepfake content in the AI era; the final court decision may set new boundaries for naming and brand usage in generative AI tools.