Former New York mayor to defend Call of Duty maker from Noriega lawsuit.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said on Monday he would defend Activision Blizzard Inc in a lawsuit filed by former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega over his depiction in the company’s popular Call of Duty: Black Ops II video game.

As co-counsel, Giuliani will defend Activision on the grounds that Noriega’s depiction in the game is protected under the right to free speech.

“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,” Giuliani said in a statement. “Quite simply, it’s absurd.”

Noriega, 80, filed the lawsuit in July in Los Angeles superior court, saying the company was using his image in the game without his permission.

Seeking unspecified damages, Noriega said Activision had portrayed him as “the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes”, including kidnapping and murder, to heighten the game’s realism and increase sales.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/22/rudy-giuliani-blizzard-manuel-noriega-call-of-duty