Pirated Copies of "Sicko" Removed From YouTube.

The Weinstein Co., which is distributing the new Michael Moore documentary Sicko through Lionsgate, has removed pirated copies of the film from YouTube. (The film is scheduled for release June 29th). Over the weekend a 124-minute version of the film was available on YouTube in 14 consecutive chunks; one version had about 500-600 views per segment, with one of the first segments receiving about 1700 views. The Weinstein Co. has stated that they have hired several firms specializing in piracy and are taking "a very aggressive approach to protecting the film". Weinstein Co. general counsel Peter Hurwitz said, "We are actively investigating who illegally uploaded 'Sicko' to the Internet, and we will take appropriate action against that person(s)".

Moore reiterated his anti-copyright law stance when asked about the matter. He said, "I think the music industry's response to Napster was misguided ... and for me, it's about getting people to see the movie and that's what I want, so they will talk about it. I would never want to prosecute anybody who would download (the film)."