Noriega loses video game lawsuit

A LAWSUIT filed by Panama’s former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega against video game company Activision Blizzard, has been dismissed by The Superior Court of Los Angeles County 

The company was accused of using his image in a video game without hispermission.
Noriega, 80 and in jail in Panama awaiting trial on murder charges dating back to his time in power was, claiming compensation from the California company on the grounds that the popular game Call of Duty: Blacks Ops II had benefited from having a character with his face and his name. The subject of the game was presented as a villain.
Judge William H. Fahey approved the motion filed by the company, requesting the annulment of the case because the inclusion of the character in the video game Noriega was protected by the right to freedom of expression.
“This case was absurd from the start and we are satisfied that at the end a recognized criminal did not win. This is not just a victory for the creators of Call of Duty, but a victory for the works and art in the entertainment industry and publisher worldwide, “said attorney and former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Giuliani, was one of the leading proponents of Activision Blizzard’s defense in this lawsuit. The frames of the game Call of Duty are based on headlines, but the plot is fictional, and have, besides Noriega included the likes of Fidel Castro and John F. Kennedy.
The video game Call of Duty: Blacks Ops II was released in 2012 and grossed a billion dollars in sales in just two weeks.
On September 18, the Supreme Court of Panama confirmed that Manuel Noriega would be tried for the murder of an opponent in 1969, a case that was dismissed in 2007.
After the fall of the dictatorship, on December 20, 1989 after a US military invasion, Noriega was sentenced in the United States and France for drug trafficking and money laundering.For nearly three years, the former general has been in jail in Renacer prison.
At least two other trials are pending for the disappearance and death of opponents to the Panamanian dictatorship (1968-1989).