So when four episodes of game of thrones got leaked we were in shock and were literally going to torrents to watch game of thrones but HBO has taken it serious this time ans is going to investigate the pirates.
Just before the season 5 premiere of Game of Thrones, somebody leaked the first four episodes online.
These were likely screeners, sent out to reviewers and others in the industry via PR.
The leaked episodes were quickly downloaded via various torrent sites, had a negligible impact on the season premiere’s ratings, and have raised yet more questions as to the morality and ethics of downloading content illegally, whether or not you already pay for HBO.
Indeed, some fans cheered the leaks simply because they had no other way to access HBO content in their countries, where HBO and streaming-only service HBO Now are not available.
Now some reddit users who have downloaded the leaked episodes are reportedly receiving warnings from their ISPs, like this one:
Just got the following in an email from my ISP Bell Canada. Someone in the apartment downloaded it.
————- Infringement Details ———————————-
Title: Game of Thrones Timestamp: 2015-04-12-ANONYMIZED
IP Address: mine
Port: 51413
Type: BitTorrent Torrent Hash: 008b8e8633010064ddbd78609002e5895a18ca64
Filename: Game of Thrones S05E01 WEBRip XviD-FUM[ettv]
Filesize: 424 MB -
You can read the full email here, but here’s a section of HBO’s complaint:
We have received information leading us to believe that an individual has utilized the IP address $MYIP at the noted date and time below to host and/or facilitate the downloading and/or streaming of content (listed below) in which HBO is the copyright owner of such content (the “HBO Properties”). No one is authorized to exhibit, reproduce, transmit, or otherwise distribute HBO Properties without the express written permission of HBO, and the unauthorized distribution of HBO Properties constitutes copyright infringement. This conduct may also violate other laws, international law, and/or treaty obligations. The title in question is: Game of Thrones As the owner of and/or subscriber using the IP address, HBO requests that you immediately take steps to prevent further downloading or uploading of HBO content without authorization. We have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted materials described above is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, and we are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
It’s interesting to see HBO go after pirates, even if this is all bark and no bite, especially given how they’ve essentially bragged about the high rate of piracy Game of Thrones receives in the past.
“If you go around the world, I think you’re right, that ‘Game of Thrones’ is the most pirated show in the world,” Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes bragged during an earnings call in 2013. ”Now that’s better than an Emmy.”
We’ll see how tough HBO gets. Frankly, I can’t imagine the leaks will do much harm to the series. People will be even more hyped for episode five if they watch all the first four episodes now, and plenty others won’t go to the trouble.
For fans, spoilers may be a risk—the books are already out and full of spoilers, but the show makes its own bevy of changes—but that’s something we all have to contend with all the time.
In any case, it’s too early to say whether HBO will make a big deal out of this. For now, HBO seemingly both enjoys their piracy bragging rights and is searching for a way to limit that piracy, including the very smart move to create a streaming only service with HBO Now.
The second episode of Game of Thrones’ fifth season airs tonight. I’ll be reviewing, as per usual, so stay tuned.