Missionary Church of Kopimism
A religious organization that regards the copying and sharing of information as a sacred act. It was founded in Sweden in 2010 and registered as a religious community on January 5, 2012, by the Kammarkollegiet, a Swedish government agency. Its official Swedish name is Det Missionerande Kopimistsamfundet, and its adherents are called "Kopimists."
Founding
It was founded in the autumn of 2010 in Uppsala by Isak Gerson, a 19-year-old philosophy student, and Gustav Nipe. The application for registration as a religious community was rejected twice and accepted on the third attempt. At the time of registration the membership is said to have been about 4,000.
Doctrine and symbols
Centered on the idea that "communication is sacred," it holds that all information should circulate freely and without restriction. The Japanese Wikipedia lists the following four basic tenets.
- All knowledge is for everyone
- The search for knowledge is sacred
- The circulation of knowledge is sacred
- The act of copying is sacred
Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V, the keyboard shortcuts for copy and paste, are regarded as sacred symbols. The word "kopimi," from which the name derives, comes from "copy me" and is used to signal that free copying is welcome. There is also a form of worship called "kopyacting," in which information is copied on photocopiers and the like and shared.
Background
The church opposes copyright and takes a position affirming file sharing. Gerson denies any connection with the file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, but both are said to have ties to the Swedish anti-copyright group Piratbyrån. In April 2012 the first wedding was held in Belgrade, Serbia.
To verify
- The actual state of branches outside Sweden, including Japan (the English Wikipedia says there are branches in Canada, Japan, Israel, and the United States, but activity in Japan has not been confirmed)
- The current membership
References
- Mentioned in
- none
- Similar