The rights holder of posthumous image and name of the late US Army General George S. Patton, considered by many to be a World War II hero, is suing video game maker Maximum Family Games. MFG produced a game called History Legends of War: Patton. The lawsuit, filed by Patton rights holder CMG, states that: “Maximum’s conduct has damaged the value to CMG of General Patton’s name, image, and likeness; has interfered with CMG’s ability to license General Patton’s name, image, and likeness for use in other video games; and has damaged CMG’s ability to enforce its rights to General Patton’s name, image, and likeness against third parties.” (That’s from the official document as it appears at arstechnica.net.)
Patton’s name is obviously being used, which distinguishes this from a suit filed earlier this year by former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Noriega claimed his likeness, though not his name, was used as the model for the immensely popular Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Noriega’s case was dismissed.
