Actual ex-dictator Manuel Noriega is suing Activision for making him look bad in 'Call of Duty'


As Chevy Chase might have said, Generalissimo Manuel Noriega is still alive — and he's suing Activision Blizzard. On Tuesday, Noriega — the 80-year-old former strongman of Panama whom the U.S. deposed and arrested for drug trafficking in 1989-90 — filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the video game giant for including his name and image in its hit game "Call of Duty: Black Ops II."
Noriega, out of prison and living in Panama, says that "Black Ops II" paints him as "a kidnapper, murderer, and enemy of the state." Activision is profiting from the heightened "realism" his virtual presence (and "numerous fictional heinous crimes") brings to the game, the lawsuit argues. Noriega is seeking a cut of the profits — the game raked in $1 billion in its first two weeks alone — and damages of at least $25,000.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Fed cuts interest rates a quarter point
Speed Read ‘The cut suggests a broader shift toward concern about cracks forming in the job market’
-
ABC shelves ‘Kimmel Live’ after Trump FCC threat
Speed Read ‘A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the president doesn’t like what they say’
-
September 18 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include a man who would be king, an inconsistent court, and social media in the trash
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read