Call Of Duty Again Sued Over Another Historical Figure... Who Is A Good Guy In The Game

from the call-of-litigation dept

You may recall that Activision's Call of Duty games have already been the subject of a lawsuit by a historical figure. Previously, notorious figure Manuel Noriega brought a publicity rights case against the game company in the United States, claiming that the game depicted him without his permission. Pretty much everyone agreed that Activision was on solid First Amendment grounds in depicting a historical figure, including Rudy Giuliani, who galloped in to represent Activision and quickly got the case summarily dismissed.

You may have thought that would be the end of all that silliness, but you'd be wrong. Over in France, the family of an Angolan rebel also depicted in the CoD franchise is filing a defamation suit against Activision. Note that the defamation laws in France allow for a more liberal application than in the States, and that France doesn't have the same strict concept of Free Speech that we have here.

The family of Jonas Savimbi, an Angolan rebel fighter, says Call of Duty: Black Ops II portrays him negatively—specifically, as a “barbarian” and “a big halfwit who wants to kill everybody,” according to the family’s lawyer Carole Enfert. They’re seeking one million euro in damages from the French arm of the video game publisher. The Guardian reports that France has very strict anti-defamation laws, even in cases where the allegedly defamed individual is dead—so his family may have a case. Savimbi was killed by the Angolan government in 2002.

So there are a couple of wrinkles that make this case different than the Noriega suit. First, as noted, Savimbi is dead. Very dead. And, while he most certainly is a notable historical figure, he doesn't have Noriega's dastardly reputation. Instead, Savimbi is best known for pushing out Portuguese colonialism in Angola and subsequently leading the fight against the MPLA, which is generally considered to be a genocidal group that had aimed at taking power in the country. Included in his reputation, however, is a firm unwillingness to engage in offered peace talks, choosing instead to continue a bloody civil war from which his nation still hasn't recovered.

But it's the final difference that makes this case so baffling: Savimbi is portrayed as a "good guy" in the game. The player is actually tasked with fighting alongside him. See the video below for yourself, with Savimbi's appearance coming in around the six minute mark, and judge for yourself whether you think he's portrayed in a negative way (note: this is a violent video game and the footage below includes some of that violence).

None of which is to say that any of this should even matter. Savimbi is a long-dead historical figure and artistic endeavors ought to have full freedom to portray him in the context of his place in history. That's what the game attempts to do. That the family's suit misses the mark in characterizing his portrayal as outlandishly negative in the context of the rest of the game is telling as far as their motives are concerned, but should be ultimately besides the point.

After all, if free expression is to mean anything at all, certainly it must allow for the discussion and portrayal of historical figures.

Filed Under: call of duty, jonas savimbi, manuel noriega, publicity rights
Companies: activision

We Hardly Knew Ye: Judge Dismisses Manuel Noriega's Publicity Rights Suit Against Activision

from the dictate-this dept

Sometimes it's difficult to maintain any faith in our legal system, particularly when it comes to intellectual property, and perhaps even more particularly when it comes to publicity rights. Then, some former drug-running dictator comes along to sue a video game and the system actually manages to do right. Yes, the case brought by Manuel Noriega against Activision over the game's depiction of the dictator in the Call of Duty franchise has been tossed out by the judge.

"This was an absurd lawsuit from the very beginning and we're gratified that in the end, a notorious criminal didn't win," said Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, who had defended Activision in the case. "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."

Nice of the mayor to rub it in, but he ain't wrong. In dismissing the case, the judge explicitly states that the First Amendment rights of Activision outweigh any publicity rights that may or may not be afforded to Noriega. It's an important distinction to make, since the judge likely could have simply dismissed the entire suit based on Noriega being a foreign national and not subject to the publicity rights law of California (under which he filed the claim). Instead, the dismissal brings free speech in to play, with a particular eye towards public persons.

"A brief summary of defendants' uncontroverted evidence conclusively shows that Noriega is a notorious public figure, perhaps one of the more notable historical figures of the 1980's...Noriega's opposing papers do not contest any of this."

The dismissal goes on to note that the depiction of Noriega in the game is clearly transformative, is not the sum total of the game's storyline, and that therefore economic considerations regarding the game being a commercial product don't factor in at all. Finally, it quotes another ruling quite beautifully, "public prominence does not confer a shield to ward off caricature, parody and satire." Bravo.

Filed Under: free speech, manuel noriega, publicity rights, rudy guiliani
Companies: activision

Former Mayor Giuliani To Defend Activision In Odd Noriega Publicity Rights Lawsuit

from the public-defense dept

We recently sneered at the publicity rights law suit brought against video game maker Activision by dictatorship-maker Manuel Noriega over his portrayal in the Call of Duty game series. The idea of a foreign historical/public figure filing suit against an American company for publicity rights, which tend to be quite localized to individual states, seemed silly on its face. Add to the mix the dastardly acts by the plaintiff and there was a great deal of room for eye-rolling at this fight.

Well, now a new combatant has emerged to defend Activision, and there's a small chance you'll recognize his face.
Is it...Derek Jeter?

No, it's former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has decided to take up the sword for Activision and defend them in court against Noriega. It turns out that America's Mayor has since gone back to practicing law and he's asking for a dismissal of the case for the exact reasons I outlined in the previous post.

Giuiliani told The Associated Press he took the case because he doesn't want the imprisoned Noriega to profit from his crimes, which include convictions for murder, drug trafficking and money laundering. Also, Giuiliani said that if the lawsuit is upheld, it could give historical figures and their heirs veto power over their depiction in books, television, movies and video games.

The entire point here is that the First Amendment provides protection in fictional depictions of historical figures. That those depictions are so close in describing the criminal actions of Noriega, in this case as a kidnapper and murderer, doesn't relieve Activision of those protections. Opening the door to more suits by public and historical figures would be absolutely horrific for the areas of historical fiction, whether in games, novels or movies. Noreiga, by the way, is serving prison time for murder and corruption.

"Noriega going after 'Call of Duty,' you should think of it as Osama bin Laden's family going after 'Zero Dark Thirty,'" [Giuliani] said.

Hopefully the court will dismiss this nonsense quickly. On a related note, it's always nice to see a former politician come to the aid of new entertainment companies, video games in particular. Too often it's the other way around.

Filed Under: call of duty, manuel noriega, publicity rights, rudy giuliani
Companies: activision

Manuel Noriega Sues Activision From Jail Over Call Of Duty Depiction

from the dictating-the-content dept

You know, when it comes to publicity rights, that expansion of law that masturbates celebrity egos like no other, I can laugh it off when we hear from the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Katherine Heigl, and Dan Snyder. I mean, sure they're famous and rich, but they still probably deserve that famous Hitchhiker's Guide designation of "mostly harmless." That their attacks on anyone who dares make even the barest reference to their holy visages typically fail usually serves as enough mental closure in my mind to keep the dogs from barking in my head at night.

Manuel Noriega, on the other hand, is an entirely different animal and his lawsuit against Activision over his portrayal in a Call of Duty game just makes me angry.

Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama, is suing Call of Duty's video games publisher. The ex-military ruler is seeking lost profits and damages after a character based on him featured in Activision's 2012 title Black Ops II. The 80-year-old is currently serving a jail sentence in Panama for crimes committed during his time in power, including the murder of critics.

So let's get this straight: an octogenarian former dictator of Panama, who has been tried and convicted in two separate countries and is currently residing in a prison in Panama, is suing a United States video game publisher over his depiction? Now can we all go ahead and admit publicity rights are ridiculous? And Noriega's suit is a special brand of silly, according to entertainment lawyer Jas Purewal.

"But Noriega isn't a US citizen or even a resident. This means that his legal claim becomes questionable, because it's unclear on what legal basis he can actually bring a case against Activision."

It's strange that we even have to ask the question, isn't it? The same status Noriega enjoys as a public and historical figure is being used to protect his depiction as a public and historical figure. If we allow publicity rights to dominate the public interest in commenting and portraying public figures, even for entertainment purposes, where is that going to end? That Noriega's age puts him perilously close to crossing the line of all of this being applied to the deceased is even more worrisome. Perhaps the families of long-dead historical devils will look to bury their lineage's history in publicity rights law if this sort of thing is allowed to go on unchecked.

Filed Under: black ops ii, call of duty, manuel noriega, panama, publicity rights
Companies: activision