The Church of Kopimism: Sweden Recognizes File-Sharing Religion

By Benn Carr
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.

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