‘Game of Thrones’ Torrents Under Fire In Canada, But Super Fans Claim Piracy Is Necessary To Avoid Spoilers
Be it torrents of Game of Thrones episodes or Beyoncé’s Lemonade, pirated copies of media are under more scrutiny than ever — and at least part of that effort is being led by the creators of the content themselves.
HBO has been flooding internet service providers (ISPs) with lists of fans who are downloading Game of Thrones torrents. Torrent Freak reported that thousands of such notices have been sent demanding that ISPs take preventative measures to ensure that the named pirates don’t commit the act again.
“As the owner of the IP address, HBO requests that [ISP] immediately contact the subscriber who was assigned the IP address at the date and time below with the details of this notice, and take the proper steps to prevent further downloading or sharing of unauthorized content and additional infringement notices.”
In Canada, torrenters claim that acquiring Game of Thrones illegally is the only feasible way to keep up with the show as it airs. As the show has penetrated online culture perhaps more than any other program outside of Breaking Bad, it is virtually impossible to avoid spoilers on social media. Even those who don’t watch the show may have a rough idea of the events of “Red Wedding” or the Jon Snow cliffhanger at the end of season 5.
Jake Deichert, one such Canadian citizen who gets his Game of Thrones fix through torrents, told CBC News that he would be absolutely willing to cough up a reasonable amount of money a month — but that it’s not possible because HBO Go is not an option for Canadians.
“I personally torrent the show every Sunday night after 10 p.m., [and] it is depressing. If HBO Now was in Canada, I 100 per cent would pay just to watch Game of Thrones.”
Of course, HBO could easily argue that there are other means to legally watch Game of Thrones. Cable packages in Canada do offer HBO, but it does come at a high cost. Bell, Canada’s leading cable provider, requires subscribers to add a $20 fee to get HBO — that’s in addition to plans that already run between $50 and $110 a month. In contrast, United States fans can get access to all the channel’s offerings for just $14.99 per month through HBO GO, says Deichert.
“Cable will not last forever… To me, that’s problem solved. I don’t expect them to [be available] on Netflix but I expect them to at least bring their streaming service to more countries.”
Because of this divide, Game of Thrones fans finds themselves in the awkward position of shelling out a huge chunk money every month or not paying it at all. Those nervous about a possible lawsuit, however, may not be any real danger of legal action. Patrick O’Rourke, a tech analyst for MobileSyrup, told CBC it was unlikely that any such harsh measures would take place.
“They see it as a way of hopefully scaring people. I don’t see them actually taking legal action.”
Do you catch Game of Thrones via torrents, HBO Go or a cable package?
[Image via Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP]
