OpenAI’s 'Cameo' Cameo Ends in Judge’s Block Party

KEY POINTS

•US District Judge Eumi K. Lee issued a temporary injunction preventing OpenAI from using the term 'cameo' in its Sora app until December 22.
•Cameo, the celebrity personalized video company, sued OpenAI on October 28 in California federal court over trademark infringement.
•OpenAI continued using the term 'cameo' as of Monday morning, despite the judge's order and public CEO demands.
•A hearing to decide if the block will be permanent is scheduled for December 19.

In the showdown America didn’t ask for, US District Judge Eumi K. Lee slammed the brakes on OpenAI’s Sora app naming a feature 'cameos'—yes, the very word—until December 22. Cameo, the celebrity video company, threw a trademark tantrum starting October 28 in Cali court, insisting their 30%-off-Thanksgiving-to-Christmas cash cow can’t be mimicked by AI nerds. OpenAI, meanwhile, clung to 'we don’t own words' like a content creator clings to trends, still using 'cameo' Monday morning, despite orders and CEO Steven Galanis pleading on X. With a December 19 hearing looming, the only cameo left is from legal drama.