Cameo Wins Temporary Restraining Order Against OpenAI

In brief

Celebrity video app Cameo has won a temporary legal victory against OpenAI, after a federal judge blocked the AI firm from using “Cameo” or confusingly similar marks for its Sora AI video generation products.
The temporary restraining order expires December 22, with a preliminary injunction hearing set for December 19.
Baron App Inc. sued OpenAI in October, alleging trademark infringement after the AI giant launched a Sora 2 feature branded as “Cameo.”

A federal judge has blocked OpenAI from using the term “Cameo” for its AI-generated video feature, handing celebrity video marketplace Cameo a temporary legal victory in its trademark battle against the AI giant.

U.S. District Judge Eumi K. Lee of the Northern District of California granted the temporary restraining order on Saturday, according to a Saturday filing in the case Baron App, Inc. v. OpenAI, Inc.

Baron App Inc., which operates Cameo, sued OpenAI last month, claiming trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and unfair competition tied to OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora 2’s “Cameo” feature.

The restraining order prohibits OpenAI and its officers, directors, and employees from using “Cameo” or any confusingly similar marks, including “Cameos,” “CameoVideo,” or “Kameo,” for its Sora AI video generation products and related marketing in the United States.

The TRO lasts until December 22, and the court set a December 19 hearing, with Cameo’s supplemental evidence due December 1, OpenAI’s opposition due December 5, Cameo’s reply due December 12, and demonstratives due December 17.

In a statement shared with Decrypt, Cameo CEO Cameo CEO Steven Galanis said that the firm was “gratified by the court’s decision, which recognizes the need to protect consumers from the confusion that OpenAI has created by using the Cameo trademark.” He added that, “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.”

Decrypt has reached out to OpenAI for comment and will update this article should they respond.

The trademark dispute

Founded in 2017, Cameo has dominated the personalized celebrity-video market, facilitating more than 10 million fan videos to date, platforming celebrities such as Donald Trump Jr., Jake Paul, Snoop Dogg, Lindsay Lohan, and others.

Sora 2 is OpenAI’s upgraded text-to-video system, launched two months ago, rebuilt as a TikTok-style app that generates AI videos using digital likenesses.

Cameo alleges OpenAI’s revamped Sora 2 now uses the CAMEO mark to compete directly with it, forcing users to choose between authentic celebrity videos on Cameo and AI-generated “Cameos” on Sora 2, misdirecting consumers as both types of clips spread across the same social platforms.

OpenAI’s use of its federally registered trademark is already causing consumer confusion, according to the lawsuit.

The complaint cites examples ranging from a customer mistakenly contacting Cameo for help with Sora issues to social media users tagging Cameo’s accounts in posts about OpenAI’s feature.

“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,” Steven Galanis, Cameo’s co-founder and CEO, tweeted following the order.

OpenAI’s legal battles

Apart from the Cameo trademark dispute, OpenAI faces other mounting legal challenges.

In August, Elon Musk’s X Corp. and xAI filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and OpenAI over an exclusive iPhone AI integration arrangement.

A federal judge denied both companies’ motions to dismiss the case last month, allowing claims of market monopolization to proceed toward trial.

In September, xAI filed a separate federal lawsuit accusing OpenAI of orchestrating a “coordinated, unfair, and unlawful campaign” to steal proprietary technology through targeted employee poaching

Also, last month, U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein denied OpenAI’s motion to strike a “download claim” from authors alleging the company unlawfully downloaded their books for AI training.