I go back and forth on the file sharing debate, unable to find solid footing on just one side of the issue. But when I heard that Michael Moore was releasing his new documentary online as a free download [1], and was even encouraging watchers to "share it or show it in any way you see fit," I thought "Okay, that works." But unfortunately, after the film showed up on torrent sites, letters of cease-and-desist were delivered to many users [2], sparking a geographical sharing debate.

Since Michael only owns the North American rights to the film, anyone trying to download the film from across the pond will be subjected to copyright infringement [3]. Michael's reasoning on the file sharing issue is this: "What are 'geographical rights'? I'll say it for the hundredth time: If I buy a book and read it, and then give you the book to read, I have broken no laws. Why is that not true for all media?"

I tend to take Michael's side on this one: he made the movie, why can't he distribute it as he sees fit? Maybe I just don't understand the inner workings of movie making, but hey — that's why I'm behind a computer and not a camera!

Source [4]