File-Sharing Religion 'Kopimism' Officially Recognized in Sweden

(NewsCore) - File-sharing has become a recognized religion in Sweden after the Church of Kopimism successfully registered with the country's government agency.

The church, which holds CTRL+C and CTRL+V as holy symbols, said it now hopes to boost its 3,000-strong membership.

"There's still a legal stigma around copying for many," Gerson told torrentfreak.com on Wednesday. "A lot of people still worry about going to jail when copying and remixing. I hope in the name of Kopimi that this will change."

"Kopimi," pronounced "copy me," invites followers to add the logo to their websites if they are happy for others to share their information.

The Church of Kopimism was founded in 2010 by the Young Pirates, the youth movement of Sweden's controversial Pirate Party.

It tried to register its beliefs as a religion with Kammarkollegie, the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency, on two previous occasions, but was turned down.

"A religious community could basically be anything," Financial and Administrative Services Agency spokesman Bertil Kallner told newspaper Dagens Nyheter after the religion was finally approved. "What's important is that it is a community for religious activities."

While file-sharing may have become an official religion, copyright infringement is still illegal in Sweden.

"To everyone with an internet connection: Keep copying. Maintain hardline Kopimi," Gerson added.

Sweden's decision follows the introduction of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) bill in the US.

If passed, the bill would make websites responsible for illegal copyright content uploaded by any user, making user-generated sites such as YouTube, and Facebook difficult to operate.

Read more: The Local