This feature name led to a trademark lawsuit with Cameo, the app where fans can pay celebrities to record personal videos. Now, due to legal action, OpenAI has temporarily removed the “Cameo” branding from its Sora app. The app now refers to this feature as “characters”.
Creative originality can’t be achieved by generative AI, which is built on finding patterns in large datasets, and OpenAI seems to match this derivative vibe with its naming schema. In addition to being asked to remove the “cameo” from Sora, OpenAI was also recently ordered not to call its upcoming hardware device “io” in response to a separate lawsuit from a company called “iyO,” which is already manufacturing AI-powered hardware devices.
According to an updated log on OpenAI’s website, US District Judge Yumi K. The company removed the Sora feature name a week after Lee issued the temporary restraining order. The judge’s order barred OpenAI from using “Cameo” or variations of the word. The next hearing, which could decide whether the ban will remain in place, is scheduled for December 19.
According to Cameo CEO Steven Galanis, discussions between Cameo and OpenAI have been “almost non-existent”. “They obviously knew Cameo existed. They knew we had trademarks on it,” he said in a call with WIRED shortly after the judge issued the temporary restraining order. “They chose the name anyway.”
He sees the lawsuit as an “existential” fight over the word “Cameo” and the brand the app has built over the last eight years. “When people think of the term, it now means something different than authentic personalized connection,” Galanis said. “It means AI slop.” Galanis claimed that OpenAI’s feature name was already hurting Cameo’s visibility in Google search results.
“We disagree with the complaint’s assertion that anyone can claim exclusive ownership over the term ‘Cameo,’ and we look forward to continuing our case in court,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
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