Michael Moore may not mind that his new film Sicko was available on YouTube this past weekend, but his distributors did — and have demanded its removal.

The popular video sharing site removed links to versions of Moore's new health-care documentary after its distributors Weinstein Co. and Lionsgate cited a copyright claim.

Filmmaker Michael Moore joins hundreds of members of the California Nurses Association as they march to a theatre to view the premiere of Sicko, a documentary about the American health-care system, in Sacramento, Calif., on June 12.
(Associated Press)

In a statement from Weinstein Co., spokeswoman Sarah Rothman said the studio was "responding aggressively to protect our film."

An approximately two-hour version of Sicko, split into 14 smaller video segments, was briefly available on YouTube. The clips had reportedly registered several hundred views before YouTube removed the links.

Moore offered the northern Michigan town of Bellaire — located in a traditionally Republican area — a sneak peek at the new documentary this weekend, as a benefit fundraiser for the Antrim County Democratic Party.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Moore said he would not prosecute those circulating bootleg copies of his still-unreleased film on the internet.

"I'm happy for people to see my movie. I'm not a big fan of the copyright laws in this country," he said.

In the past, the 53-year-old filmmaker has supported downloading movies, provided those pirating are not making any profit.

Filmmaker anticipating 'onslaught of attack'

Moore also said he was expecting "an onslaught of attack" from the U.S. pharmaceutical and medical insurance industries after Sicko is officially released on June 29.

In the film, Moore critiques the U.S. health-care system through the stories of citizens who were unable to receive or were denied proper medical treatment.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker offers up medical care in Canada, the U.K. and France as counterpoints to the U.S., and also escorts several ailing Sept. 11 rescue workers to Cuba to receive medical care — a move that has raised the ire of the U.S. Treasury Department.

According to Moore's attorneys, federal officials are investigating whether the director broke the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba by setting part of his film there.

Moore has admitted that he is worried about the investigation, but said that his hope for Sicko is "to reach out across the great divide that exists in this country and say, you know, those on the other side, who may disagree with me, can't we find some common ground on this issue? We're all Americans."

Sicko won raves at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Moore gave a Canadian audience a sneak preview of the film in London, Ont., earlier this month. Last week he also hosted a screening of Sicko in Sacramento, after participating in a march to the Capitol with the California Nurses Association.

The Flint, Mich.-born Moore gained international fame with his 1989 General Motors documentary Roger & Me and later won an Oscar for his 2002 film Bowling for Columbine.

Fahrenheit 9/11, Moore's critique of the Bush administration, won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2004.

About a month later, at its official release, Fahrenheit 9/11 was also widely bootlegged online, but went on to earn nearly $120 million US at the North American box office.

With files from the Associated Press