Game of Thrones pirates get warning letters from HBO

Didn't want to pay for Foxtel and you've been pirating the latest season of Game of Thrones?

Watch out – HBO is on your case.In a mammoth effort to stem piracy, the studio behind the wildly popular series is sending warning letters to alleged copyright infringers, urging them to pay to watch the show instead.

Kickass Torrents and Torrentz have been complying with the take-down requests, with some files disappearing from their directories in a manner of minutes, it reports.

HBO is able to do all this with the help of a little known Australian company IP Echelon, one of the most active piracy-tracking companies around.

We first shone the spotlight on IP Echelon a year ago, when insiders told us it was the best in the game when it came to tracking copyright infringing activity online.

As well as HBO, IP Echelon counts big Hollywood studios Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures among its clients.

The company uses proprietary software to detect IP addresses that are being used to engage in copyright infringement, and sends those details back to its clients.

It then contacts internet service providers (ISPs) asking them to forward warning letters to those customers whose accounts are believed to have been used to pirate content.

"HBO owns the copyright or exclusive rights to Game of Thrones, and the unauthorised download or distribution constitutes copyright infringement," the letters read, according to Torrentfreak.

"As the owner of the IP address, HBO requests that [ISP] immediately contacts the subscriber who was assigned the IP address ... with the details of this notice, and take proper steps to prevent further downloading or sharing of unauthorised content and additional infringement notices."

It also asks ISPs to point customers to legitimate channels where they can pay to view Game of Thrones.

IP Echelon's media-shy founder Adrian Leatherland has personally signed off on letters to alleged Game of Thrones pirates in the past.

For pirates trembling in their sea-soaked boots, these letters pose no immediate legal ramifications. But they can be a significant deterrent to changing the attitudes of copyright infringers.

Earlier this year, a high-profile legal battle between internet service providers and the US studio that produced the film Dallas Buyers Club ended in a judge all but ruling out so-called "speculative invoicing" in Australia.

The practice involves rights holders sending letters to alleged pirates asking them to pay compensation or risk costly legal action.

The case meant the film studio was not given access to the names and addresses of account holders it believed were guilty of pirating its film.

Game of Thrones has for years been the most pirated show ever, industry statistics show.

Tens of thousands of Australians are believed to have watched season six, currently airing, through illicit channels. However a record number of Australian viewers also paid for the privilege this time around.