HBO Targets Torrents, Streams, And A Bar As ‘Game Of Thrones’ Enters Second Week
It took nearly a week, but HBO has finally gone after users who uploaded torrents of the first four episodes of Game of Thrones Season 5.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the first four episodes of the new season of the hit HBO drama Game of Thrones were released to torrent websites on the eve of the premiere last week. The news was especially troubling because it occurred just after the launch of HBO Now, the long-awaited app that allows people to view Game of Thrones legally and without a cable connection.
Initially, HBO focused it’s energy on a several Australians who live-streamed the premiere episode to their friends. TorrentFreak reports that the streamers used Periscope, an app that allows people to stream content to the world. Periscope is owned by Twitter, and the company announced that it would delete the account of anyone “determined to be a repeat infringer.”
Representatives at HBO didn’t seem to think Twitter’s response went far enough.
A spokeswoman for HBO said, “In general, we feel developers should have tools which proactively prevent mass copyright infringement from occurring on their apps and not be solely reliant upon notifications.”
The representative did not provide further information on whether or not the tools already exist.
Those who nabbed the torrent files may think they are in the clear, but HBO has its sights on them as well. According to the Huffington Post, HBO sent thousands of warnings to users to stop sharing their content. The warnings were sent to internet service providers through IP-Echelon, HBO’s anti-piracy partner. Reportedly, HBO instructs providers to “contact the subscriber” and “take appropriate action.”
Again, HBO did not specify which action they wanted internet service providers to take.
As stern as the warning is, multiple sources say that HBO does not actually have the names of any of the violators, so they can’t take any legal action.
Even so, several Reddit users expressed concern over the warnings. One user pointed out that he hadn’t downloaded the episode, and guessed that someone might have used his wi-fi to do it. At least one Reddit user has said that his provider, Comcast, has threatened to discontinue service if it happens again.
Pirates and torrent downloaders aren’t the only ones feeling the sting of HBO’s copyright protection. According to Business Insider, Videology, a combination bar and movie theater in Brooklyn, received a cease and desist letter from HBO. The letter demanded that Videology stop holding public viewings of Game of Thrones.
HBO’s message is clear. If you want to join the Game of Thrones phenomenon, you’d better be willing to pay for it.
[Image via HBO]
