Click on this link: Movies online: Free ‘n’ easy, but is it theft?

With the recent release of “New Moon”, a weekend box office hit, someone chose to build a site for all the users who were seeking a way to watch the movie for free. While I personally was not interested in seeing the movie, I am troubled by the behavior that, if left unchecked undermines the intent of our Copyright law.

I firmly believe that each viewer has the right to choose how they watch content when it is made available to them. This includes “time shifting” or recording for later personal viewing. I can also understand a consumer selling their single copy of a movie during a “garage sale” BUT posting a movie online for everyone to watch is not reasonable.

The behavior of flagrant violators does not move us forward in finding solutions for the future. Innovations like iTunes or online TV sites with advertising appear to be moving us closer to an answer. I am excited to see other options that will continue to emerge as we wrestle with finding the right balance between viewers freedom and owners rights.