14 DAY TRIAL // Manuel Noriega, former dictator of Panama, is suing publisher Activision over his depiction in the company's military shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
The news comes from The Independent, reporting that the former dictator has filed a lawsuit over his portrayal as a villain in Activision's hugely popular first-person shooter franchise, Call of Duty, namely in Call of Duty: Black Ops II, where players are tasked with his capture.
In the game, Noriega makes an appearance during a mission, both as an in-game character as well as in some news clips. Noriega is currently serving a prison sentence in Panama, and decided to sue Activison for "blatant misuse, unlawful exploitation and misappropriation for economic gain," over the use of his image in "Suffer with Me."
The mission portrays him as "a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state." The lawsuit claims that Activision's use of the former dictator's likeness "caused damage" to him and earned the publisher "profits they would not have otherwise received."
This is not the first instance of game-makers being sued over using someone's likeness in a video game, as EA has also been sued by the NCAA over the use of athlete likeness in their games, and actress Lindsay Lohan has also sued the creators of Grand Theft Auto, claiming the use of her image.
In the lawsuit brought at the Los Angeles Superior Courts, Noriega claims that Call of Duty made more money from his likeness because of how using real historical figures "translates directly into heightened sales for the defendants." With the game's over 24 million units sold, we're talking about a lot of money here.
"Defendants' use of plaintiff's image and likeness caused damage to plaintiff. Plaintiff was portrayed as an antagonist and portrayed as the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes, creating the false impression that defendants are authorized to use plaintiff's image and likeness. This caused plaintiffs to receive profits they would not have otherwise received," Noriega's lawyers claim.
The former dictator is seeking damages for unjust enrichment, unfair business practices and violation of common-law publicity rights. Unlike the case of Lindsay Lohan's alleged likeness being used in GTA V, Activision's use of the actual image of Noriega in Call of Duty: Black Ops II is indisputable.
The dictator's military reign ended in 1989, when the U.S. invaded Panama, flagrantly violating international laws. Since then, Noriega spent around two decades imprisoned for drug-trafficking charges, and was then extradited to France in 2010, to serve his time for money laundering.
In 2011, he was extradited to Panama, in order to face the charges for the criminal acts committed during his rule, including murder. He is currently incarcerated at El Renacer prison, in Gamboa, Panama.