Former Panama dictator Manuel Noriega has announced he's suing Activision for the unapproved use of his name and likeness in Call of Duty: Black Ops II

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The lawsuit, filed in the LA County Superior Court and reported by the Courthouse News Service , explains the 80-year-old Panama resident is suing the mega-publisher for the "blatant misuse, unlawful exploitation and misappropriation for economic gain" of his image in the 2012 title.Events in the game see Alex Mason and Frank Woods track Noriega to the outskirts of Panama, with the ex-dictator's lawyers claiming "In an effort to increase the popularity and revenue generated by Black Ops 2, defendants used, without authorisation or consent, the image and likeness of plaintiff in Black Ops 2."Defendants' use of plaintiff's image and likeness caused damage to plaintiff. Plaintiff was portrayed as an antagonist and portrayed as the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes, creating the false impression that defendants are authorised to use plaintiff's image and likeness. This caused plaintiffs to receive profits they would not have otherwise received."Noriega says his inclusion in the Suffer With Me level presents him as a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state, all for economic gain and without his consent.Though Activision has yet to respond, entertainment and tech lawyer Jas Purewal told the BBC that the company may not need to. While US individuals have the right to publicity, which gives them control over their depiction in things like games, Noriega isn't a US citizen or resident. As a result, figuring out a legal basis on which his claim can stand is tricky. The US does extend publicity rights laws to foreigners in some cases, so it should be interesting to see where this one goes.Noriega rose to prominence as Panama's military dictator in 1983 and remained in power until 1989, until a US invasion overthrew him. he was tried and sent to prison in April 1992, which in turn was followed by extradition to France in 2007 and another jail sentence. His conditional release in 2011 was granted on condition that he return to Panama and serve a further 20 years in prison there.This isn't the first time individuals in the public eye have taken umbridge over the perceived inclusion of their likenesses and work in games. Grand Theft Auto V has managed to draw the ire of both Lindsay Lohan and rapper Daz Dillinger in the past

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter