Ex-Dictator Manuel Noriega sues over depiction in Call of Duty

[Gahars]

If there's one thing any Ex-Dictator has to worry about, it's his image. Well, that and the convictions, but mostly the image thing.

Manuel Noriega, former dictator of Panama, understands this perfectly, and now he intends to use the same justice system that put him behind bars to get some justice of his own.

Former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega is suing the Santa Monica video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. for depicting him and using his name without his permission in one of the fastest-selling video games.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Noriega alleges that “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” portrays him as “a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state.” This was done “to heighten realism in its game,” which “translates directly into heightened sales” for Activision, the lawsuit states.

Noriega, 80, is seeking lost profits as well as damages. His attorneys did not respond to requests for comment.

The Los Angeles Times
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Yes, because if there's one thing Noriega has to fret over, it's a video game making him, the former dictator guilty of corruption, drug trafficking, money laundering, human rights abuses, and murder, seem like a bad guy. Of all the preposterous elements of the Call of Duty franchise, this surely takes the cake.

Of course, it seems pretty unlikely that this case would have any standing in any sort of court, especially considering that the depiction of historical figures, living and dead, in fiction is not exactly a new thing. If Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, and Robert McNamara can be depicted as a zombie-slaughtering quartet without issue, I think Noriega is facing an uphill battle here.

Don't breath easy yet, though. You better watch out, Van Halen, because you're next on the list!

 

[XDel]

I say go for it! Just because he's guilty of the same crimes as all government heads, doesn't mean no one has to ask his permission to use his likeness.

 

[FAST6191]

OK, consider me curious.

Likenesses in games seem to provide all sorts of odd legal things these last few years ( http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/Will...o_Game_Developers_Can_Avoid_Legal_Trouble.php ). Worst case scenario I see here is it sets some kind of precedent/case law.

 

[DinohScene]

Ofcourse you do ;')
Good luck bribing the judge, nothing new for you anyway ;')

 

[dontay0100]

Some would say, it would be an honor.

 

[orcid]

At second glance this is not as absurd as it sounds first. Money must be paid for using sport stars in sport games. There is no difference to famous good and bad people in shooting games. Only if he is used in the game in a historical context as a historical person he should not get money.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I say go for it! Just because he's guilty of the same crimes as all government heads, doesn't mean no one has to ask his permission to use his likeness.

Does anyone really care though?

 

[matpower]

How someone can have the title of "Ex-Dictator"...?
Anyway, I bet this is going nowhere because in the end, what is on CoD is true...

 

[Gahars]

How someone can have the title of "Ex-Dictator"...?

Because he used to be a dictator and was removed from power, meaning he is not currently a dictator.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

How someone can have the title of "Ex-Dictator"...?
Anyway, I bet this is going nowhere because in the end, what is on CoD is true...

I'm just gonna take a guess here, but probably by being taken out of power by someone else

As for the news, meh. As someone who only bothers with Call of Duty for the "story", it's campaign is hardly memorable at all. Like, I wasn't even aware he was in Black Ops 2 despite completing the campaign twice.

 

[matpower]

Because he used to be a dictator and was removed from power, meaning he is not currently a dictator.

I meant that basically, it is a weird title, not something that you would think it can be used to label someone. (I still can't express what I mean here, but I hope you understand what I really want to say :/)

 

[Gahars]

Still, it is kinda ridiculous.

...How? That's just how the prefix "ex" is used.

 

[matpower]

...How? That's just how the prefix "ex" is used.

Check my edited post.
Anyway, as someone that doesn't care about CoD, is he mentioned often/a big part of the plot?

 

[Hells Malice]

People in positions like him basically have to accept that their image is officially public domain.
Activision doesn't need permission to use his image, especially in a realistic enough portrayal.

 

[Psionic Roshambo]

Activision needed to put a hit out on the guy, would have been way cheaper than paying for his permission to use him in the game.

Or had some sort of crazy deal with the Russian's or the Chinese, like one of those convoluted Black Ops games.

Either way this should be an interesting case, I am sure Activision will argue that a criminal should not be able to profit from criminal activities.

 

[ShadowOne333]

Damn, I hope Hitler doesn't find out about his depictions in games, or else that would be the end of the FPS genre as we know it today...

 

[TripleSMoon]

I might get some hate for this, but I understand why he's suing.

I mean, regardless of how you look at it, he was explicitly portrayed in a huge AAA video game without his consent. What crimes he's committed, who he is, or what country he's from doesn't all of a sudden make it okay from a legal standpoint.

As for the Hitler comparisons, the man has been dead for 70 years, so it's not quite the same thing.

 

[Gahars]

Anyway, as someone that doesn't care about CoD, is he mentioned often/a big part of the plot?

He's in 2-3 missions, and he's pretty much a side character. He's more in the background of the scenes than anything else.

I might get some hate for this, but I understand why he's suing.

I mean, regardless of how you look at it, he was explicitly portrayed in a huge AAA video game without his consent. What crimes he's committed, who he is, or what country he's from doesn't all of a sudden make it okay from a legal standpoint.

As for the Hitler comparisons, the man has been dead for 70 years, so it's not quite the same thing.

Except he's a historical figure, and as such (iirc), he's free reign for fiction. The libel claim holds no ground, or shouldn't hold ground, because Black Ops II is an obvious work of fiction and makes no pretense that this is meant to be a realistic portrayal of him (or war in general, really).

 

[Gaming4Ever]

What a Dick-tater


Im sure NO ONE will have sympathy for a Douche like him on any level.....Mmmmmm him and Lindsay Lohan should combine their Lawsuits and get some Un-Star power to get people to notice.........

 

[XDel]

Does anyone really care though?

honestly... nope.