By Lynn Elber, Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --HBO's "Game of Thrones" has the dubious honor of being popular with both pirates and viewers.
After its fifth season began Sunday, users of a Twitter-owned live-streaming app shared the fantasy drama.
HBO said Tuesday it sent "take down" notices to Periscope, the app that allows video streaming from users' phones to their Twitter followers.
Twitter, which recently acquired Periscope, said the app complies with U.S. copyright law and will respond to valid take-down requests.
On Monday, HBO said four unaired "Game of Thrones" episodes that were leaked online had come from within a group authorized to receive preview DVDs.
The unrelated incidents don't appear to have hurt the show's ratings. HBO hasn't released figures, but reports say nearly 8 million viewers tuned in to the premiere, the best start yet for the series based on the works of George R.R. Martin.
HBO indirectly chided Periscope, saying in a statement that app developers should have tools to "proactively prevent mass copyright infringement" and not rely solely on being notified after such incidents occur.
Neither HBO nor Twitter had further comment on the issue.
But in a Periscope copyright policy posted online, the company said it expects users to respect intellectual property rights and asks those alleging copyright infringement to contact it with details and proof.
The policy also says that Periscope reserves the right to remove such content without prior notice and to terminate the account of a "repeat infringer."
Avid completes acquisition of Wolftech
Avid®, known for software solutions for professional media production, has completed the acquisition of Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a leader in cloud-based multiplatform news planning, production and publishing solutions.
The acquisition enables Avid to combine its digital-first, end-to-end media solution with Wolftech’s expertise in story-centric workflow management. News organizations will be able to increase efficiency and accelerate story delivery through enhanced remote collaboration and multiplatform amplification.
Avid CEO Wellford Dillard stated, “Wolftech is unquestionably on the leading edge of where the industry is going, and this acquisition demonstrates Avid’s commitment to transform news, sports, and live production workflows. We are delighted to welcome Wolftech into the Avid family.”
Wolftech CEO Arne Berven added, “We were focused on finding a partner that could accelerate the adoption of our platform globally. We explored a number of possibilities, but when we talked to Avid, we knew it was the right match.”
The closing of the acquisition follows Avid’s announcement on October 7 that the company had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Wolftech.
With this acquisition, Avid deepens the integration between the two toolsets while continuing to embrace an open approach in partnering with a wide range of media production tools and newsroom systems. Existing Wolftech customers will benefit from Avid’s global scale for customer support and professional services.
Ian Axton, head of production operations for ITV News, said, “As a customer of both Avid and Wolftech we’re excited about the benefits this acquisition will bring to our users and our business. Wolftech has transformed... Read More