Co-executive producer George R.R. Martin arrives for the season premiere of HBO's "Game of Thrones" in San Francisco, California March 23, 2015. (Photo : REUTERS/Robert Galbraith)
Just before the world premiere of "Game of Thrones" season 5 episode 1, copies of first four episodes were leaked online. Users from United Kingdom topped the list of pirate copies of the "Game of Thrones" leaked episodes.
According to The Guardian, one in 10 IP addresses sharing the copies were from the U.K. after the leak, the episodes were uploaded on various torrent websites like The Pirate Bay. More than 135,000 users shared "Game of Thrones" Season 5, episode 1 making it the most popular among the leaked episodes.
The U.K. users constituted up to 9.8 percent of IP addresses from across the globe. The United States placed number two with 9.1 percent and 7.8% users were from India.
HBO stated that the breach happened within a group authorised by HBO.
"Sadly, it seems the leaked four episodes of the upcoming season of Game of Thrones originated from within a group approved by HBO to receive them. We're actively assessing how this breach occurred," HBO stated.
The producer of "Game of Thrones" stated last week that he was worried about the leaks of season 5.
"The files are watermarked, and editors have to confirm in writing that they have deleted them," Spence said to Denver Post. He said that the cast is sending the episode files as artists are working in different special effects companies throughout the world.
The leaked copies of "Game of Thrones" season 5 are said to be review copies for the press and after the leak, the episodes have blurred digital watermarks.
