This week we learned about the Swedish based file sharing group that received official government recognition as a religion: The Missionary Church of Kopimism. The official website encourages free copying and downloading. (I call it “theft”.) This group (membership reported at 3,000) meet, copy, remix, and generally infringe copyrighted works that they deem to be religious or spiritual. The “church” members refer to themselves as “Kopimists” – get it? “Kopi” – “Copy”. In an article published at Torrent Freak, Pirate Bay founder, Rick Falkvinge, states that “In the case of this religion, the preachers are defined as the ones facilitating holy copying (and remixing).”
Some are speculating that being a religion could complicate the gathering of evidence in a copyright infringement – such as some sort of confessional privilege, including Falkvinge. That might work under Swedish law which I am not qualified to comment on. (If what I read is correct Swedish authorities grant any organization status as a religion that claims to be a religion.) But I don’t believe this maneuver will work in most of the free world. Will it be that simple to upend the entire worldwide copyright system? I doubt it. I suspect if challenged any religious defense will fail as a sham. Just my opinion – I certainly don’t want offend anybody’s religious sensibilities of course. Since Kopimism has nothing to do with any God – or anything except the right to freely share copyrighted movies and other content – I doubt I have offended the personal spiritual beliefs of the 3,000 members.
I wonder what they share instead of wafers and wine while downloading, sharing and viewing the “Rocky Horror Picture Show”?
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