Manuel Noriega sues Activision
Manuel Noriega - yes, that Manuel Noriega - is not at all happy to have been a character in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. And now the former Panamanian dictator is suing Activision for including him in the game.
Noriega, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleged the game made him out to be "a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state" - and he wants a cut of the game's profits as compensation.
Technically, Noriega is suing Activision for "blatant misuse, unlawful exploitation and misappropriation [of his image and name] for economic gain," the suit claims.
"Defendants deliberately and systematically misappropriated plaintiff's likeness to increase revenues and royalties, at the expense of plaintiff and without the consent of plaintiff," it continues.
The character that bears Noriega's name and likeness in the game (which saw sales top $1 billion within two weeks of its release) assists the CIA, but later betrays them. That's not too far from the real-life Noriega, who did work as a CIA informant until the agency cut its ties with him.
The ex-general, whose pockmarked face earned him the nickname Pineapple Face, was deposed by a U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989. He was convicted in the U.S. in 1992 for drug dealing, racketeering and money laundering, and served 15 years in prison here. Upon his release, he was extradited to France, which had convicted him in absentia of murder and money laundering. In 2011, French officials sent him to Panama to serve a 20-year sentence for charges in that country. He currently remains in jail there.
Noriega's suit might be one of the more surprising image likeness suits in the video game world, but it's hardly alone. Earlier this month, Lindsay Lohan sued Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games, accusing the game makers of using her image and likeness without her permission in Grand Theft Auto V.