Swedish government allows ‘Kopimism’ as a religion
From now on, the Church of Kopimism is an officially approved religion in Sweden. The Swedish governmental institution Kammarkollegiet registered the Church of Kopimism as a religious organization, after rejecting the application twice. Now, the Church of Kopimism adjusted its application and therefore the Swedish government approved their request. This means that Sweden is the first country to recognize kopimism as a religion.
Kopimism is the religion of internet piracy that wants to legalize file sharing. The church claims Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V are its sacred symbols. Furthermore, information such as digital data is sacred and copying is seen by the Kopimists as a sacrament. Therefore, information is valuable and will be more valuable when it is copied, according to the church.
The Swedish law does allow registration of new religions. After approval, the Church of Kopimism gets the same recognition from the government as the great religions. To obtain approval of the Swedish government, the Church must meet certain requirements. The Church’s primary purpose is to ‘worship’. Also, a board is required and the Church must fulfil a social purpose. In addition, there is a statute to be maintained.
Although the Church of Kopimism is now an approved religion, this does not mean supporters of the Kopimism can share any information they want. It is still unlawful to share copyright protected content in Sweden. Nonetheless, Isak Gerson, the Church of Kopimism’s spiritual leader, says he is hopeful the approval is a step toward the day when they can share any information without fear for prosecutions.
Read more about the Swedish kopimisme on FutureofCopyright.com:
Reference: Webwereld
By: Karen Groen
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