HBO has probably sent thousands of Game of Thrones DMCA notices using IP Echelon. But, IP Echelon DMCA notices are not copyright lawsuits; they are not settlement demand letters, and they are not suing internet users for copyright infringement… at least not yet. (Click here to Tweet!)
I received a phone call today asking me to write about the Game of Thrones HBO piracy lawsuits, but there are none.
Last year, HBO sent thousands of DMCA copyright infringement notices to internet users who were caught downloading or viewing the Game of Thrones episodes without an HBO subscription. As reported by Ernesto @Torrentfreak.com, HBO teamed up with IP-Echelon (an anti-piracy company), which was tasked with sending DMCA warning notices. [I referred to them as *WARNING* notices intentionally; you’ll see why soon.] These warning notices told accused internet users to remove any downloaded Game of Thrones episodes downloaded using bittorrent, and even instructed them ‘with a bit of wit’ to get a HBO subscription.
I received many phone calls from internet users who received these IP Echelon notices. However, unlike the DMCA settlement demand notices that accused internet users receive when they are caught downloading music (Chris Sabec from Rightscorp, a.k.a. Digital Rights Corp. sends these) or movies (Carl Crowell from Rights Enforcement sends these), the IP Echelon DMCA warning letters do not ask for money. They are merely, “Hey you, I saw you downloading Game of Thrones. Cut it out! Stop pirating my client’s TV episodes, delete what you did, and get a HBO Go subscription” notices.
Obviously these notices should not be ignored. Home Box Office, Inc. (“HBO”) would be a formidable opponent if they started using the IP Echelon information to sue accused defendants in federal courts for copyright infringement. They have deep pockets, they have unlimited resources, and with the Game of Thrones franchise, HBO has name brand recognition and respect from every federal judge in every federal court.
My opinion about IP Echelon and the HBO Game of Thrones DMCA notices.
Believe it or not, I believe HBO is going about this the right way with their IP Echelon / Game of Thrones DMCA notices. Instead of suing individual downloaders who are caught viewing or downloading the various Game of Thrones episodes, HBO and IP Echelon are focusing their efforts on REDUCING THE AVAILABILITY OF THE UNLICENSED VIDEOS. This means that they are taking steps to remove bittorrent trackers so that when someone clicks on a bittorrent file to download a Game of Thrones episode, the bittorrent tracker is dead (meaning, no Game of Thrones bittorrent file, no swarm to download from, and thus no copyright infringement).
IP Echelon is also sending copyright infringement notices using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (these are the “DMCA” notices) which they are having the various ISPs forward to subscribers who are “caught” downloading the Game of Thrones episodes.
“Caught,” but not punished.
By doing this, HBO successfully reduced the piracy of their Game of Thrones episodes, and they kept their fans loyal.
In sum, HBO is 1) monitoring and policing the availability of their Game of Thrones episodes on piracy peer-to-peer networks, and 2) they are contacting individual downloaders through the IP Echelon DMCA notices warning them to acquire their copyrighted content the lawful way, e.g., purchasing an HBO Go subscription.
Great, but HBO was still missing the boat. HBO continued to cause their own piracy problems by allowing only Cable TV subscribers to access their Game of Thrones episodes online.
My biggest complaint against HBO: Failure to make Game of Thrones available to paying customers
For a while, my biggest critique of HBO was that they were not making their copyrighted content available to those who wanted to legitimately purchase a HBO subscription. Why? Because their “HBO GO” streaming add-on service was only available to those fans who pay a monthly Cable TV subscription.
“Cordcutters” (meaning, those who opted to “cut” their cable TV subscription) were outcasted. And as a result of not having a cable TV subscription, HBO inadvertently exacerbated their Game of Thrones piracy problem by preventing those who wanted to legitimately purchase access to watch the Game of Thrones episodes from doing so. In other words, no access = those would-be customers had no choice except to either not watch the series, or to turn to piracy.
(Click here to Tweet!)
HBO created criminals out of their Game of Thrones fans by showing their loyal to the cable companies over their own customers. This was likely a smart business decision (cable companies pay HBO huge licensing fees for their content), but a wrong decision if they wanted to stop the piracy of their videos.
HBO responds to our complaints and makes content available on Amazon, Hulu
HBO definitely has my respect, especially because they were flexible enough to notice that they were alienating their fans by allowing them to only connect through a Cable TV subscription.
HBO not only noticed that they were causing their own piracy problem, they took steps to fix it by making their content available to Amazon Prime Video customers, and to Hulu customers.
Thus, if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can add-on an HBO subscription for $14.99/month.
If you are a Hulu subscriber, you can also watch HBO as an add-on for the same $14.99/month.
Is $14.99/month a fair price for an HBO add-on subscription?
$14.99/month is more than an entire Netflix subscription, and last I checked, it is more than a Hulu subscription. Is it worth it to pay an additional $14.99/month just to have access to HBO shows?
It depends on each person. How badly do you want to see the entire Game of Thrones series, and it is worth the subscription fee to watch it legally [and in high quality]?
In the end, the “market” will decide whether this is too much or too little to ask for to obtain a monthly subscription to HBO’s exclusive content. If people pay, then it will stay at this price (or increase, if there is enough demand). If people do not pay, then HBO will need to lower their price until they convert the would-be pirates into customers.
In Summary, HBO is doing things right.
The point is that HBO is taking steps to 1) not only eliminate the availability of pirated content, and 2) not only are they contacting the subscribers through their IP Echelon partner and instructing them to stop pirating their copyrighted content, but 3) they are also taking smart steps to make their content available to those who wish to purchase their content.
NOTE: HBO will never get rid of piracy 100%, as this is nearly impossible and there will always be those internet users who will pirate copyrighted content, even when the paid version is almost free. [Case in point: UNRELATED to the HBO issue, many Android apps are free, and many paid versions are $1.99 for a lifetime license to that app. Yet, there are still Android users who will go out of their way to install the pirated version of that $1.99 paid app.] No doubt, HBO viewers too will also always have this problem.
At the very minimum, however, I believe with every fiber of my being that HBO is handling their Game of Thrones piracy problem the right way, and for this, HBO has my full support and respect.
…Do I need to hire you if I receive an IP Echelon DMCA notice?
Absolutely NOT. There is nothing that our Cashman Law Firm, PLLC needs to do for you to handle your HBO IP-Echelon DMCA notice.
Why? Because:
1) The IP Echelon DMCA notices are not copyright infringement lawsuits.
2) The IP Echelon DMCA notices are not settlement demand letters.
3) The IP Echelon DMCA notices are not affiliated with your ISP, and thus no response to your ISP is requested or required.
4) HBO is not suing internet users for copyright infringement… at least not yet.
[ONE LAST TIME… Please CLICK HERE to Tweet and share this article so that others can learn about IP Echelon DMCA notices, and what HBO is doing. At least then when they receive a scary IP Echelon DMCA notice for their unlawful download of the Game of Thrones episodes, at least for now they will have some calm and relief. You will have given them that by sharing this article.
In sum, there is nothing that you need me to do for you if you received an IP Echelon DMCA notice. The notice is merely a warning letter telling you to stop downloading their client’s copyrighted content illegally, and to find legal ways to obtain their content if you want to continue watching it.
IF THIS CHANGES, and HBO sues defendants for copyright infringement, you can be sure I would be screaming about this from the hilltops. IF HBO starts asking for money settlements in their DMCA notices, you can be sure I would write about it. However, for now, select a legal method of viewing HBO’s exclusive content, and enjoy the shows.
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[CONTACT AN ATTORNEY: If you have a question for an attorney about the IP Echelon DMCA notices, you can e-mail us at info[at]cashmanlawfirm.com, you can set up a free and confidential phone consultation to speak to us about your notice, or you can call/SMS us at 713-364-3476 (this is our Cashman Law Firm, PLLC’s number].
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