Swedish Government Denies File Sharing Religion

Last Updated: Aug 18, 2011

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In Sweden, a file sharing group initiated a petition to have their religion as they call it recognized legally by the government. The Swedes involved in this group believe that their religion is just as important as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. “The Missionary Church of Kopimism” attempted to acquire official recognition for their beliefs, but the Swedish government promptly denied their legal claims.

The Swedish government denied that the particular beliefs of the people were actually legitimate enough to be classified a religion on the grounds that they did not perform regular worship. One of the leaders decided not to give up. The young student Isaac Gerson decided to initiate a second request to the government in hopes that they would overturn their previous ruling. The group stated that their file sharing rituals equated to traditional religious practices.

No such luck though, the government ruled that Kopimism is still not an official, recognized religion in the country of Sweden. The basic beliefs of Kopimism are that the essence of file sharing is beautiful and good. The copying and distribution of information is a compliment and a show of appreciation for the work.

Instead of looking at file sharing as a negative, these people believe that file sharing and the copying of information illegally is something done for the good of the person who created it.

While most people disagree and believe that file sharing is stealing, this particular group in Sweden has a much different perspective. Whether you believe file sharing is good or bad, it’s interesting that a group would file their beliefs about file sharing as a religion with the Swedish government.

As of now, there is no official Kopimism religion in Sweden, but who knows what the future will hold for these young ones who value file sharing so highly.