• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won

3

NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won

3

NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
TechHBO

HBO Wants PornHub to Stop Running Steamy Scenes From ‘Game of Thrones’

Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jeff John Roberts
By
Jeff John Roberts
Jeff John Roberts
Editor, Finance and Crypto
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 2, 2016, 4:01 PM ET
Game of Thrones (HBO) TV Series Season 5, 2015Episode: The Dance of Dragons Airdate: June 7, 2015Shown: Emilia Clarke
Game of Thrones (HBO) TV Series Season 5, 2015 Episode: The Dance of Dragons Airdate: June 7, 2015 Shown: Emilia Clarke© HBO/Photofest
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Fans of Game of Thrones like its spectacular violence, but also the gratuitous sex and nudity, which often involves the show’s major characters.

So popular are those smutty scenes that viewers are uploading them to PornHub, an adult website that claims to be the world’s biggest. The adult film industry, meanwhile, has been cranking out dozens of Game of Thrones “parodies” featuring actors that look like characters on the show.

All of this has reached a point that HBO (TWX) , which produces Game of Thrones, has taken notice. Unsurprisingly, the studio is not pleased about its popularity on PornHub.

“HBO is aware of the issue and is in the process of getting material taken down fromPornHub,” said HBO in a statement.

While a BBC report stated that HBO is “taking action againstPornHub for breach of copyright,” a studio spokesperson said it has not filed any lawsuit.

PornHub, meanwhile, said by email that it respects copyright and responds immediately to takedown requests. But at the same time, the company has published statistics attesting to the popularity of Game of Thrones among its users.

These stats include data about the most popular character searches (the “Mother of Dragons” Daenerys is number one, followed by female characters Margaery, Shae, and Cersei) as well as evidence the porn site’s traffic drops by 4% when Game of Thrones is on TV.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

While some might see PornHub’s data as promoting viewers to seek out unlicensed HBO content, it’s unlikely the site faces serious legal risk.

The reason is so-called “safe harbor” laws, which protects all manner of websites—from YouTube to Facebook to PornHub—from liability for content uploaded by their users. So long as PornHub obeys takedown requests, it is shielded from copyright infringement.

According to John Bergmayer, a copyright attorney with Public Knowledge, the decision to publish the Game of Thrones data does not meanPornHub forfeits the safe harbors, or commits so-called “secondary infringement”—an offense that studios use to go after pirate websites.

As for the Game of Thrones users who upload the scenes, Bergmayer says it’s unlikely they could claim fair use, a legal rule that gives people the right to use copyrighted materials in certain situations.

“It doesn’t really appear they’re doing much in the way of commentary or criticism or cultural work—they’re just being perverts,” he said, adding that he was not familiar with the videos in question.

On the other hand, said Bergmayer, those who upload can always point to the short length of a clip to argue for fair use.

But most interesting question could be whether the adult-themed Game of Thrones parodies count as fair use. While the law typically provides very robust protection to parody, HBO could argue sex scenes based on its characters are not parody at all.

PornHub said those who post videos on its site could advocate fair use cases themselves by filing a so-called “counter-notice” to restore a video that has been taken down. HBO did not respond to questions about its policy on parody.

About the Author
Jeff John Roberts
By Jeff John RobertsEditor, Finance and Crypto
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jeff John Roberts is the Finance and Crypto editor at Fortune, overseeing coverage of the blockchain and how technology is changing finance.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

China sanctions 10 U.S. defense companies in tit-for-tat response to Pentagon’s Chinese military list
North AmericaChina
China sanctions 10 U.S. defense companies in tit-for-tat response to Pentagon’s Chinese military list
By The Associated PressJune 22, 2026
2 hours ago
Elon Musk to get a billion shares of SpaceX if he can settle a million humans on Mars
Startups & VentureElon Musk
Elon Musk to get a billion shares of SpaceX if he can settle a million humans on Mars
By Catherina GioinoJune 22, 2026
2 hours ago
Thibault Sottiaux, Head of Core Product and Platform OpenAI, speaking.
AIOpenAI
OpenAI’s new ‘super app’ boss hopes to persuade users and potential IPO investors that the company is about way more than just chat
By Beatrice NolanJune 22, 2026
3 hours ago
Americans are fleeing the U.S. at record rates—an ex-Google engineer who left India to build a $7.2 billion AI firm says they’re making a mistake
SuccessView from the C-Suite
Americans are fleeing the U.S. at record rates—an ex-Google engineer who left India to build a $7.2 billion AI firm says they’re making a mistake
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 22, 2026
4 hours ago
Forget speed: L’Oréal’s innovation chief says AI rewards companies with history
EuropeL'Oreal
Forget speed: L’Oréal’s innovation chief says AI rewards companies with history
By Francesca CassidyJune 22, 2026
5 hours ago
Europe must take opportunity to ‘dream bigger’ if it’s to seize its innovation moment
Magazineeuropean economy
Europe must take opportunity to ‘dream bigger’ if it’s to seize its innovation moment
By Francesca CassidyJune 22, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
Success
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
By Emma BurleighJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
Success
NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
By Preston ForeJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
Health
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
By Ali Swenson, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
2 days ago
Tenzin Seldon: The GLP-1 boom is the biggest climate story no one is pricing in
Commentary
Tenzin Seldon: The GLP-1 boom is the biggest climate story no one is pricing in
By Tenzin SeldonJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
Ezekiel Emanuel: My father lived into his 90s. He understood something many successful men miss
Commentary
Ezekiel Emanuel: My father lived into his 90s. He understood something many successful men miss
By Ezekiel J. EmanuelJune 21, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.