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Former New York mayor to defend Call of Duty maker from Noriega lawsuit Sorry - this page has been removed.
(6 months later)
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said on Monday he would defend Activision Blizzard Inc in a lawsuit filed by former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega over his depiction in the company’s popular Call of Duty: Black Ops II video game. This could be because it launched early, our rights have expired, there was a legal issue, or for another reason.
As co-counsel, Giuliani will defend Activision on the grounds that Noriega’s depiction in the game is protected under the right to free speech.
“What’s astonishing is that Manuel Noriega, a notorious dictator who is in prison for the heinous crimes he committed, is upset about being portrayed as a criminal and enemy of the state in the game Call of Duty,” Giuliani said in a statement. “Quite simply, it’s absurd.” For further information, please contact:
Noriega, 80, filed the lawsuit in July in Los Angeles superior court, saying the company was using his image in the game without his permission.
Seeking unspecified damages, Noriega said Activision had portrayed him as “the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes”, including kidnapping and murder, to heighten the game’s realism and increase sales.
Activision said in a statement that the stories in the Call of Duty franchise were based on actual events. Noriega’s lawsuit, it said, would have a chilling effect on all sorts of movies and works of art that portray historical and political figures.
Noriega was the military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989, when his rule ended with a US invasion.
He was later indicted in the United States on drug and racketeering charges. He was convicted in 1992 and served in prison until 2010, when he was he was extradited to France to serve a sentence there. France then sent him to Panama, where he remains in jail for crimes committed during his rule.
Giuliani held two terms as New York City mayor, including during the September 11 2001 attacks.