HBO's crusade to shut down public screenings of its shows is not new but has become recently heated as the network battles piracy of "Game of Thrones" (a record 8 million viewers watched the April 12 Season 5 premiere) and new technologies such as Periscope and Meerkat, which allow anyone with an iPhone or computer to follow along with live broadcasts (and, in the case of Periscope, watch the videos up to 24 hours after they are posted). A decade ago HBO sent cease-and-desist letters to bars and restaurants, including some in Chicago, that showed "The Sopranos."