5 hours ago
4
The company behind the Cameo app -- which lets you pay to have celebrities create a personalized video message for you -- is suing OpenAI, alleging that a video generation feature it rolled out in late September will create brand confusion and mislead the public.
The feature, called Cameos, is part of a new set of features that OpenAI rolled out for its videogenerator tool Sora2. Cameos allows you to insert yourself or others into videos alongside celebrities and historical figures, such as OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, Muhammad Ali and Abraham Lincoln.
Since the Sora 2 launch, OpenAI has made tweaks to who can be featured in Cameos and how it can be used.
Don't miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.
Cameo says it was in discussions with OpenAI about the issue before it filed the lawsuit.
"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 and co-founder Steven Galanis said in a statement. "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 lawsuit alleges, "trademark infringement, trademark dilution and unfair competition under federal law and applicable state laws."
In its statement, Cameo also claims the Cameos feature will create "consumer misunderstanding" and, "mislead the public into believing the products or services are associated with or endorsed by Cameo."
"We're reviewing the complaint, but we disagree that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the word 'cameo,'" an OpenAI spokesperson told CNET.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
