Rudy Giuliani recounted his own experience in the public eye as he appeared in a Los Angeles court Thursday to defend a video-game company against a suit by former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.
Noriega is suing Activision Blizzard Inc. over 2012’s “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” for putting a character in the game that’s apparently based on him.
Giuliani argued the case should be dismissed because artists have a right to portray historical figures — and he brought up his own experience as a person who’s been depicted in books and films.
“Noriega is a part of history,” said Giuliani of the now-imprisoned drug trafficker. Giuliani said letting historical figures censor art is “totally offensive to the First Amendment.”
Noriega’s lawyer countered that the likeness was painstakingly replicated for the game and the case should be allowed to proceed.