HBO Takes On 13-Year-Old With Autism, Demands Removal Of Her 'Winter Is Coming' Painting In Art-Sharing Site

HBO has come after a 13-year-old girl with autism because of an artwork she shared online that contained the words, "Winter is coming." The tagline is from the network's popular series "Game of Thrones," which has apparently been trademarked. The network has demanded that the artwork should be removed from the internet.

The 13-year-old girl's father, Jonathan Wilcox, told The Register that his daughter posted her "Winter is coming" painting via RedBubble, an arts and craft site. She chose to submit the artwork for the site's Huevember art challenge.

"[It] consisted of doing a piece of art based on a different color as you worked your way round a color wheel," Jonathan Wilcox said. Her daughter with autism also shared her "Winter is coming" painting on social media. The father said that there was never any intention to profit from using the phrase and posting or sharing the painting online.

HBO, however, sent a takedown order to RedBubble through its legal team. It cited that because the painting used the "Winter is coming" phrase, then it can be liable for trademark violations as it could affect the "Game of Thrones" brand. The arts and craft site complied and informed the Wilcox family of the network's takedown demand.

Jonathan Wilcox was expectedly upset over the incident but he learned that the network has been issuing takedown notices on several sites where many have actually used the phrase for selling "Game of Thrones" related products. "It appears HBO are doing this all over the place regarding this phrase," the father said.

According to New York Daily News, the father has no plans to appeal HBO's demand to remove his daughter's artwork on the internet. But he is campaigning for people to boycott HBO because of this sweeping act. "They go around picking on and upsetting disabled children who have acted in total innocence," he said. HBO has yet to address the matter as of press time.