Back in July, former Panamanian dictator, Manuel Noriega, filed a lawsuit claiming that Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II used his name and likeness without permission, and that he is owed for lost wages.
Today, a California Superior Court judge threw out the case, making this a huge victory for not only the video game industry, but the entertainment industry overall. Activision vigorously maintained that its use of Noriega in the game was “transformative,” thereby protecting it by way of First Amendment rights.
Former New York City Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, who was the law firm partner representing Activision in this case was extremely pleased with the court’s dismisal of this case:
“This ruling is an important victory and we thank the court for protecting free speech. This was an absurd lawsuit from the very beginning and we’re gratified that in the end, a notorious criminal didn’t win. This is not just a win for the makers of Call of Duty, but is a victory for works of art across the entertainment and publishing industries throughout the world.”
This case will make it clear to the families of other notorious villains such as Osama bin Laden, Sadaam Hussein, Fidel Castro, and others, that the US First Amendment is still alive and kicking, and suing over their “likeness” will get them nowhere.
Now that we have this suit behind us, guess this will not bode well for Lindsay Lohan and her lawsuit against Rockstar Games’ use of her “likeness” in GTA V…
