HBO issues takedown notice to Twitter-owned Periscope regarding 'Game of Thrones' live streams

HBO has sent takedown notices to Twitter's new live-streaming app, Periscope, after a number of its users were caught illegally streaming the fifth-season premiere of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones.

Australian website Mumbrella first reported that "dozens" of users of the Twitter platform, a direct competitor to Meerkat, were streaming low-quality versions of the pay-cable series.

"We are aware of Periscope and have sent takedown notices," HBO said in a statement. "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."

Periscope seems to be reactive rather than proactive. The company's terms of service state that it does not support copyright infringement, but it relies on users to police the platform.

"We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect Periscope users to do the same," the TOS reads. "We will respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with applicable law and are properly provided to us."

For more:
- read this Mumbrella story
- read this Hollywood Reporter story
- read this story from TheVerge
- read this Mashable story

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