Swedish government recognises file-sharing religion

By Fred Dutton Published 5 January, 2012

Church of Kopimism insists "copying is a sacrament".

The Swedish government has officially recognised a fledgling religion that worships the act of file-sharing.

As reported by the BBC, the Church of Kopimism was formally registered as an official religious group by the Kammarkollegiet government agency shortly before Christmas, at the church's third attempt.

Founded in 2010 by 19-year-old philosophy student Isak Gerso, the group worships "what is the holiest of the holiest, information and copy." It holds "kopyactings", which it considers to be religious services, where members share information with each other.

The group considers CTRL+C and CTRL+V to be sacred symbols.

Though the church insists it doesn't actively promote illegal file-sharing, Gerso apparently hopes that the open distribution of information will also 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 organisation and its members," he said in a statement.

"Being recognised by the state of Sweden is a large step for all of Kopimi. Hopefully this is one step towards the day when we can live out our faith without fear of persecution."

Music analyst Mark Mulligan suggested that he might be in for a long wait.

"It is quite divorced from reality and is reflective of Swedish social norms rather than the Swedish legislative system," commented music analyst Mark Mulligan.

"It doesn't mean that illegal file-sharing will become legal, any more than if 'Jedi' was recognised as a religion everyone would be walking around with light sabres.

"In some ways these guys are looking outdated. File-sharing as a means to pirate content is becoming yesterday's technology," he added.

The movement's website has taken a hammering since the news broke. Any prospective members are encouraged to "revisit us in a couple of days when the storm has settled".

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (35) Latest comment 5 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • OneClassyBloke #1 5 months ago

    Bullshit, filesharing actually exists. How can you consider it a religion?!

  • kassmageant #2 5 months ago

    amen.. or download, to that

  • TheNonk #3 5 months ago

    Get a grip

  • TweekeewT #4 5 months ago

    So, another complex argument torpedoed by students being pretentious wankers again?

  • Shakey_Jake33 #5 5 months ago

    Surely this is just an act to get file sharing to have the same official protection as a religion?

  • TheRealBadabing #6 5 months ago

    Hokey religions and ancient insert text are no substitute for a good insert text at your side.

  • Cjail #7 5 months ago

    Making a religion of file-sharing!
    I have seen more original ways to avoid paying taxes.
    Edited by Cjail at 05/01/12 @ 19:11

  • Inmediasress #8 5 months ago

    Again one more time humanity proves me wrong, when I think it can not get any lower.
    Besides the world would be a better place without religion.(as in your usuall doctrine driven shit to justify hatred towards others)

  • JamieR #9 5 months ago

    How silly, it's nearly as silly as christanity.

  • CaptainKid #10 5 months ago

    @TheRealBadabing
    Weapons, blaster.
    Did I win?

  • alcides #11 5 months ago

    Zombie Jesus is my savior. or doom. I don't know. Neither is real anyway.

  • Histeria #12 5 months ago

    @gotyourmoney It's mostly a political protest about religious groups getting special dispensation with regards to certain laws.

  • OneClassyBloke #13 5 months ago

    @gotyourmoney

    I consider my Dick as sacred, I 'pray' with it everyday. Where's my tax breaks and offical recognition?!

    Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to write that.

    For the record, anyone who claims "X is the definite reason for all this shit going on" is as idiotic in my mind. That includes Atheism and Secular Humanism.
    Edited by OneClassyBloke at 05/01/12 @ 19:29

  • syra #14 5 months ago

    "In some ways these guys are looking outdated. File-sharing as a means to pirate content is becoming yesterday's technology," he added.

    Music analyst trying to look cool. What a douche.

  • DrStrangelove #15 5 months ago

    Damn you heretics, you shall be burnt on disc!

  • ThaneKrios #16 5 months ago

    No more file-sharing for me, i'm an atheist!

  • KanePaws #17 5 months ago

    And yea He hath searched within His Soul of souls, his Torrent of torrents, and maketh that most simple of requests of us all: "plz seed."

  • captain_Carl #18 5 months ago

    "It is quite divorced from reality" this s truly a real religion then

  • lavalant #19 5 months ago

    File sharing should be human right, it benefits the human race as opposed to the individual or corporations, yes I am a member of the Star Trek religion, Live Long and Prosper, now where's those fucking Klingons.

    And I just hope that Gary Glitter doesn't go to Sweden and set up a "religion"

  • madjim #20 5 months ago

    Nonsense! Jesus Almighty did the copy-paste trick 2000 years ago, with some fish or something! Those guys are just trying to steal some glory!
    :champ:
    Edited by madjim at 05/01/12 @ 20:23

  • mossychops001 #21 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:49:27 04-05-2012

  • SaintDaveUK #22 5 months ago

    I don't understand why people think that it's a "right" to sneak some musicians, film crews and game developers (most of whom have families to feed) out of money which they deserve.

  • Shikasama #23 5 months ago

    Epic sense of humour failure from Music analyst and self righteous EG comments page

  • Atropos #24 5 months ago

    Jeez, I hate po-faced people who don't get irony for irony's sake. Some guy managed to take the Swedish law book and use it in his favour to get a fake religion acknowledged by bureaucrats because they legally had to, and you guys complain? Instead of understanding the inherent ironic genious? Man, you've just confirmed my own experience, that when Brits complain that Americans lack an understanding of irony, it's like the pot pointing out that the kettle is a slightly blacker shade of black. Most countries in Europe will school you Brits in irony, even in English.
    Edited by Atropos at 05/01/12 @ 22:03

  • Hellion83 #25 5 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:35:41 22-05-2012

  • Hantheman #26 5 months ago

    I love Sweden

  • dsmx #27 5 months ago

    Does that mean if your a member of this religion and you get caught file sharing and they threaten to prosecute you can you claim religious persecution?

  • SaintDaveUK #28 5 months ago

    @gotyourmoney Yes you're right I suppose. Of course content creators don't have families to feed. They aren't normal human beings.

  • sega #29 5 months ago

    Hang on - I don't get this file sharing is "yesterday's technology" thing. What other method is there? Do computers now just come with all software/music ever as standard? What am I missing?

  • Casserole #30 5 months ago

    Sweden lost my respect as a "free" country ever since they bowed down to America's demands for Julian Assange and arrested him on a "rape" charge.

  • anomagnus #31 5 months ago

    @Casserole

    They didn't arrest him on rape. They wanted to bring him in for questioning ABOUT a rape. He was asked, multiple times, to come forward and answer questions about a serious allegation, as anyone would be. He's chosen, multiple times, until the point that their law had no recourse but to demand his presence, to avoid doing that.

    He then claims that he's safer in the UK, arguably one of the US's staunchest allies, than he is in Sweden?

    IMO he's dragging this out, just for the fame. If he had simply gone into the police station in 2010, answered the questions, all this would have been done (if he is as innocent as he says he is, of course).

  • Amblin #32 5 months ago

    shameless attempt to hide illegal file sharing behind a religion and hence protected (they hope) by human rights law.

    i.e. any attempt to prosecute for file sharing results in;

    "I was acting in accordance to my religous beliefs" = infringment of my rights = big hoohah and costs to the public purse to prosecute a blaggard/pirate.

    BS like this makes me wish for my species to wiped from this planet.

    What next? Piratebay is the new bible/koran?

  • DwarfyP #33 5 months ago

    @gotyourmoney "Content creators mostly don't get paid by number of sales and they don't get docked pay based on number of pirated copies."

    No, they just go bankrupt and close the studio and put everyone out of a job instead.

  • SG #34 5 months ago

    You only have to read the quotes to see that this is obviously ironic!

  • actionfitz #35 5 months ago

    I think i'll stay a 'pastafarian'. all praise his noodley goodness!