This story keeps getting stranger. Former New York mayor and current US attorney Rudy Giuliani will serve as co-counsel for Activision’s defence against the lawsuit leveled by former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega over his appearance in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.
Giuliani issued a prepared statement saying; ”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. Quite simply, it’s absurd.”
”I’m not interested in giving handouts to a convicted murderer and drug smuggler like Manuel Noriega who is demanding money from Activision and its popular Call of Duty franchise for simply exercising its right to free speech,” Giuliani continues. ”Noriega’s attack on the rights of Call of Duty comes as no surprise considering he’s a lawless tyrant who trampled over the rights of his own people.”
Noriega launched the lawsuit back in July, claiming that Activision misused his likeness, and seeking damages for ”unlawful exploitation and misappropriation for economic gain”. For its part, Activision filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit yesterday. They claim a victory of Noriega would open the floodgates for various famous political and historical figures to prevent their appearance in popular media.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest on this bizarre case.