The Church of Kopimism: Sweden Recognizes File-Sharing Religion
By Benn Carr
January 6, 2012
January 6, 2012
- After three applications, the Swedish government has finally registered the Church of Kopimism as a recognized religious organization.
- The church, founded by 19-year-old philosophy student Isak Gerson, “claims that ‘kopyacting’ — sharing information through copying — is akin to a religious service,” reports BBC News. “But others were less enthusiastic and said the church would do little to halt the global crackdown on piracy.”
- In an effort to openly distribute knowledge to all people, Gerson suggests that CTRL+C and CTRL+V (shortcuts for copy and paste) should be viewed as sacred symbols and he hopes that the act of file-sharing will be given religious protection.
- “For the Church of Kopimism, information is holy and copying is a sacrament. Information holds a value, in itself and in what it contains and the value multiplies through copying. Therefore copying is central for the organization and its members,” he says.
- The establishment of the church comes during a time of strong governmental crackdown on piracy, one that is shifting its focus away from individuals towards the ecosystem that supports piracy.