Sicko Gets Bootlegged on YouTube

Over the weekend a bootleg version of Michael Moore's health care documentary, "Sicko," surfaced on YouTube.

A 124-minute version of the film was posted on YouTube by at least two users. The movie could be watched in 14 video clips. Each segment had received 500-600 views before it was removed. YouTube cited a copyright claim by Lionsgate Films, which is distributing the $9 million documentary with Weinstein Co.

Weinstein Co. spokeswoman Sarah Rothman said in a statement released over the weekend that the company was "responding aggressively to protect our film."

In the film Moore records the struggles of ordinary Americans with insurance coverage and Americans without in navigating the health bureaucracy. Portraying insurance companies and supportive politicians in both parties as the villains, Moore contrasts the U.S. system with those of Canada, France and Great Britain, which have government-run programs.

Moore ends up accompanying to Cuba a group of rescue workers who became ill after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The film describes them as getting better care and cheaper drugs in Cuba than at home.

This isn't the first time one of Moore's films has been bootlegged. "Fahrenheit 9/11" (2004) a documentary mocking the Bush administration surfaced before its June release date. "Sicko" opens in New York theaters today and nationwide June 29.