Lukas looked at the "Play" button. He thought about the potential for a "Abmahnung"—one of those dreaded legal warning letters with a €900 fine attached. He thought about how the site was likely tracking his IP address, and how easy it was for copyright holders to log those connections in a swarm.
That was the final straw. The tension of the show wasn't worth the tension of a ruined laptop or a legal battle. He closed the tab and took a breath. He realized that for the price of two Döner kebabs, he could just get a legitimate monthly subscription to a streaming service that actually supported the creators of the show. [streamkiste legal] Game of Thrones s01e05
He logged into his official streaming account instead. As the iconic theme music began to swell and the clockwork map of Westeros unfolded, Lukas leaned back. The picture was crisp 4K, there were no flickering ads, and for the first time that night, he didn't feel like he was looking over his shoulder. Ned Stark was in enough trouble; Lukas didn't need to be in any himself. Lukas looked at the "Play" button