Digital Pirates Find Religion

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Digital pirates find religion

SWEDEN has helped digital pirates load their canons by officially recognizing a group that preaches “Copy, download, upload” as an official religion.

Sweden, the birthplace of the world’s largest file-sharing website, Pirate Bay, as been the battleground for those who support file-sharing and the music and film industries that oppose it, reported Reuters.

The Church of Kopimis, which was recognized by the Nordic nation last month, upholds four universal precepts: all knowledge to all, the search for knowledge is sacred, the circulation of knowledge is sacred, the act of copying is sacred, according to their website.

The name of the religion is derived from the Swedish words for “copy me”.

“We challenge all copyright believers – most of which have a great deal of influence in politics, and who derive their power by limiting people’s lives and freedom,” their official website states.

“We believe that information is holy,” Isak Gerson, who calls himself the spiritual leader of the church told Reuters.

The group has reportedly registered the church as a way to avoid the persecution of the film and music industries.

Ludvig Werner, head of the Swedish branch of recording industry body IFPI, declined to comment to Reuters on Kopimism, but did point out that about 16 per cent (1.5 million) of Sweden’s population were active file-sharers.

“This means Sweden is one of the most active countries in Europe for file-sharing. So we still have a problem, even if the legal streaming of music has helped limit it,” he told Reuters.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12028.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-01-16