Is it illegal to watch 'New Moon' free online?

By Eriq Gardner

We were as surprised as everyone to see "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" rake in an estimated $140.7 million in its opening weekend. 

Summit Entertainment has apparently dodged blood-sucking online pirated versions of the film. The Chicago Sun-Times took a look at pirated copies of "New Moon" and asked the question whether watching illegal copyrighted content constitutes theft. A spokesperson for the MPAA says yes, of course. Other lawyers say not necessarily.

"It is certainly illegal to (upload) online copyrighted content," says Steve Englund, a copyright attorney at Jenner & Block. "It is a little more complicated question whether it is illegal to watch it when someone else has put it online."

Leaving aside the legalities of watching pirated content, it's probably worth noting that online marketers (aka spammers) are in the midst of making the consumption of piracy as annoying as possible. For example, watchnewmoon.org makes users fill out surveys and register for coupons in order to "unlock" the content. Other websites do the same.

It may turn out that aggressive spammers are more effective than copyright lawsuits and ethical education in chasing people back to the movie theater.