Filesharing Now an Official Religion In Sweden

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Filesharing Now an Official Religion In Sweden

Posted by timothy on Wednesday January 4, 2012 @06:43AM from the but-do-they-have-snacks-and-coffee? dept.

bs0d3 writes "Kopimism is now an official religion in Sweden. Kopimi beliefs originated with the Swedish group called Piratbyran who believed that everything should be shared freely online without restrictions from copyright. Leader Isak Gerson, has recently had some disagreements with the Swedish Pirate Party where many people disagree with all religions." Here's the official website for the "Missionary Church of Kopimism."

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Is the clipboard by TheTruthIs · 2012-01-04 06:45 · Score: 5, Funny

their holy scripture?
1. Re:Is the clipboard by Joikas · 2012-01-04 06:55 · Score: 5, Interesting
  
  Creative Commons license, and GPL for that matter, are pro-copyright by their very definition. Only public domain is anti-copyright.
2. Re:Is the clipboard by Pharmboy · 2012-01-04 06:59 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Depends, if they were Evangelical Kopimists, then the GNU/GPL is the only TRUE gospel. Not only do you accept It into your life, but you must spread the word in all your earthly works.
  The ones that follow the Creative Commons are like the people who only go to church on Christmas and Easter. They aren't real believers, they are "just in case it is true, at least I will get into heaven" believers.
  
  --
  Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
3. Re:Is the clipboard by Pharmboy · 2012-01-04 07:04 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  PD isn't exactly anti-copyright. Technically, you can take a Public Domain work, change it (even a little, add a space), and copyright it yourself. It is more of a "copyright irrelevant" non-license. You don't have to worry or think about copyright at all, if you choose. Literally, you, me, and everyone here can all claim copyright on virtually the same Public Domain work, legally.
  Of course, if you copyright it, you can't take away anyone's right to copy or use the Public Domain version all they want.
  
  --
  Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
4. Re:Is the clipboard by Narishma · 2012-01-04 07:15 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  As long as Clippy isn't their prophet we are safe.
  
  --
  Mada mada dane.
5. Re:Is the clipboard by colinrichardday · 2012-01-04 07:23 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  There's already a Church of GNU Emacs. One of its tenets is that if you take the Church too seriously, seek professional help.
6. Re:Is the clipboard by GuldKalle · 2012-01-04 07:44 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Why didn't all religions have that?
  
  --
  What?
7. Re:Is the clipboard by wedge3d · 2012-01-04 13:21 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Every byte is sacred.
  Every byte is great.
  If a byte is wasted,
  God gets quite irate.
It could be worse by obarthelemy · 2012-01-04 06:46 · Score: 5, Insightful

They could preach slavery, rape, murder, hating on gays/women/divorcees.
Oh wait, that would probably let them justify having a state on top of a religion ^^

--
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
1. Re:It could be worse by JimCanuck · 2012-01-04 07:13 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Yes because slavery and lack of rights didn't exist under the "peaceful" way of life when the Dalai Lama was in charged of Tibet./sarcasm
2. Re:It could be worse by gstoddart · 2012-01-04 07:24 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Only so in the western world. Buddhist countries, especially Theravada ones, lack that. That's why they're much more saner religions than western ones.
  And yet, it's illegal to even criticize the Monarchy in Thailand, Myanmar is a military dictatorship, and Cambodia had some of the worst atrocities this century.
  No religion (or country, or ethnic group) is above all of this crap ... granted, Buddhism doesn't have as much of a bent towards such things, but that doesn't mean that cultural attitudes don't get wrapped up in such thing.
  But, really, I've read stories about monks in Thailand (not to single them out) being involved in all sorts of things. I've even read stories of two sects openly fighting for control of temples because money was at stake.
  I wouldn't be so quick to believe that Buddhism (even Theravada) makes one immune to this kind of thing. Human nature means it is always there.
  It's easy enough to call yourself a practitioner of any religion and then proceed to all sorts of bad things in that name of that religion.
  
  --
  Lost at C:>. Found at C.
3. Re:It could be worse by icebraining · 2012-01-04 08:31 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  I didn't realise Christianity had its own state???
  It does, it's called State of the City of the Vatican (Stato della CittÃ del Vaticano). The Pope exercises principal legislative, executive, and judicial power over it.
  
  --
  Dilbert RSS feed
The result will be deadly by Ukab+the+Great · 2012-01-04 06:48 · Score: 5, Funny

sectarian violence between Kopimists and the ABBAnites over lost royalty tithe income.
so. by jellomizer · 2012-01-04 06:50 · Score: 4, Insightful

So he who toil and grule for months on end to make good to benefit many... Shalt not receive reward or compensation, for they create media and that shall be bread enough alone.

--
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by prakslash · 2012-01-04 06:57 · Score: 4, Insightful

Although they are only preaching "harmless" digital copying, followers of a religion can still be prosecuted for their actual practice if it is deemed criminal under the prevailing laws.

"Freedom of Religion" rights enshrined in the constitutions of most countries rarely provide for exceptions to go against the prevailing laws. So, this new religion won't change anything. A better path is being followed by the Pirate Party who actually seeks to change the prevailing laws around information copying.
1. Re:Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by SuricouRaven · 2012-01-04 07:10 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  That depends upon how good the religion's lobbyists and lawyers are. The US has a few cases of that sort of thing - surprisingly, not all Christian. A native american tribe managed to successfully challenge the Migratory Bird Act so they could sacrifice federally-protected golden eagles as part of their rituals, and won. The Amish are very well known for it, because their lifestyle has a great many minor conflicts - things like requiring all buildings be produced entirely within the community, which means they can't use fireproofing treatments for wood required by state law. It really comes down, as so much does, to a combination of legal skill, funding and the luck of finding a sympathetic court.
2. Re:Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by Capt+James+McCarthy · 2012-01-04 07:35 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  "Fun fact: In Finland, the only person you should confess a murder to is a priest. Even the court can't force a priest to break the secrecy."
  Better fact: The best kept secret is the one that no one else knows about.
  
  --
  There are no loopholes. It's either legal or it's not.
3. Re:Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by AliasMarlowe · 2012-01-04 07:54 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  "Fun fact: In Finland, the only person you should confess a murder to is a priest. Even the court can't force a priest to break the secrecy."
  Better fact: The best kept secret is the one that no one else knows about.
  So then you kill the priest immediately after confession. Which gives you another murder to confess, presumably to another priest. The Catholics have over 400000 of them, so you won't run out for some time.
  
  --
  Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
4. Re:Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by jpapon · 2012-01-04 08:03 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Well, if the mother asks for it, and the doctor is the only one available to perform the procedure, then he should be forced to, or forced to retire. The doc signed up to be the caretaker of health for the community, and must perform his duties, or step down. You seem to think the doctor's rights as the health professional of a community supersede the rights of a woman towards her body. The doc can't push his ethics on others, he has no right to force a woman to keep her baby. He can do his job, or he can do what everyone else does, and quit. Simply saying "no" is not an option, and sets a dangerous precedent. What happens when the doc declines to give gays treatment for STDs? Or any other of the myriad of times when an MD is forced to treat someone whos religious views clash with their own?
  
  --
  -- Let us endeavor so to live that when we pass even the undertaker shall be sorry. -- M. Twain
5. Re:Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by Bacon+Bits · 2012-01-04 09:00 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  I think his point is that the SlashDot community tends to conflate "Christian" with "fundamentalist" and "evangelical," which, while a number of very vocal Christians are are not the entirety of the Christian community. The fact that this thread starts with the comment "They could preach slavery, rape, murder, hating on gays/women/divorcees. Oh wait, that would probably let them justify having a state on top of a religion ^^" and nobody has stood up to denounce that hatred itself is indicative of the issue. Topics about religion on SlashDot invariably involve these kinds of generalizations about "Christians" or religious types in general and nobody seems to have a problem with it.
  The truth is that religion itself has nothing to do with slavery, rape, murder, or hatred of certain groups. Dogmatic thinking (religious or otherwise), willful ignorance, sectarianism, and xenophobia do. The very act of denigrating "Christians" -- whether with direct attacks like this or with callous mocking like FSM and invisible unicorns -- and lumping them together in this fashion as rapists, murderers, slavers, etc. perpetuates the exact same behavior here that resulted in these atrocities.
  Religion isn't what's wrong. Religion is not evil. Hate is evil. Perpetuating misunderstanding and resentment is evil. Humans are evil, not organizations.
  
  --
  The road to tyranny has always been paved with claims of necessity.
6. Re:Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by SuricouRaven · 2012-01-04 09:19 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  That's because I was slightly wrong. I was conflating two different but quite similar cases.
  
  The eagle case was one Mr. Hardman (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=search&case=/data2/circs/10th/994210.html). I remembered one crucial detail incorrectly though: He actually lost in court. The case I was confusing it with was one of those he cited as precident, Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Lukumi_Babalu_Aye_v._City_of_Hialeah). The religion in question there wasn't native american, but a decendant of an African religion requiring animal sacrifice. In that case, they won, and the ordinance was struck down as unconstitutional.
  
  The MBA actually *does* have an exception for native american religions, but Hardman didn't qualify as he was not a legal member of one of the authorised tribes.
  
  It can be so hard to keep all these cases straight when citeing from memory. I am not a lawyer though, I just debate this stuff a lot on the internet.
7. Re:Religious Prosecution of File Sharers by gknoy · 2012-01-04 09:22 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  An officer of the state, however, is acting as more than an individual, and should not be allowed to discriminate.
  So, your local priest or rabbi might decline to marry you and your (hypothetical) gay fiancee, but I dislike the idea of the local judge or magistrate declining to do so.
Re:Site is down right now. by cheesecake23 · 2012-01-04 07:08 · Score: 4, Informative

Since their webpage is slashdotted, here is the official press release from the Church of Kopimism:

The Church of Kopimism is recognized by the state of Sweden

Just before Christmas, the Swedish governmental agency Kammarkollegiet registered the Church of Kopimism as a religious organisation. This means that Sweden is the first country to recognize kopimism as a religion.

The Church of Kopimism have tried to become registered as a religious organisation by Kammarkollegiet for more than a year.

- Since Kammarkollegiet has been strict with formalities, we had to apply three times, a happy Gustav Nipe - board chairman for the organisation - says. He continues, I think it might have something to do with the governmental organisations abiding by a very copyright friendly attitude, with a twisted view on copying.

For the Church of Kopimism, information is holy and copying is a sacrament. Information holds a value, in itself and in what it contains, and the value multiplies through copying. Therefore, copying is central for the organisation and its members.

Being recognized by the state of Sweden is a large step for all of kopimi. Hopefully, this is one step towards the day when we can live out our faith without fear of persecution, says Isak Gerson, spiritual leader of the Church of Kopimism.

The Church of Kopimism is a religious organisation with roots from 2010. The organisation formalizes a community that's been well spread for a long time already. The community of kopimi requires no formal membership. You just have to feel a calling to worship what is the holiest of the holiest, information and copy. To do this, we organize kopyactings - religious services - where the kopimists share information with eachother through copying and remix.

Copy and seed.
Re:Christianity and broadcast rights by Richard_at_work · 2012-01-04 07:29 · Score: 4, Interesting

Jesus did die, he rose from the grave by conquering death - according to the Bible, it's one of the key tenants of Christianity. Now, how would copyright law handle that?
Great idea by fiannaFailMan · 2012-01-04 07:29 · Score: 4, Interesting

If a pyramid scheme can give itself a fancy name like Scientology and claim the status of religion and get the free pass that goes with it, why shouldn't file-sharers? If anything I hope this highlights the undue respect that is given to religion and the inappropriate treatment of "faith" as a virtue.

--
Drill baby drill - on Mars
Re:Joke by muuh-gnu · 2012-01-04 07:32 · Score: 5, Insightful

> only hurt copyright reform movements.
How exactly? Your alleged "serious" copyright reform movements never achieved anything of significance. The Pirate Party has achieved siginificant visibility in Europe. They have seats in the European Parliament, in the Berlin parliament and will probably get seats in the German federal parliament next year. They have already forced major parties to seriously rethink their internet policies or risk losing the whole sub-30 generation.
Re:Joke by ACS+Solver · 2012-01-04 10:30 · Score: 4, Informative

Having recently started living in Sweden, I familiarized myself with the Pirate Party a bit more closely. The claim that they want to abolish copyright is simply false - they are proposing a reform, although admittedly one that curbs copyright very significantly. They do want to get rid of patents entirely, believing they hinder innovation. What they want to do with copyrights is to reduce them to 5 years, after which works get released into the public domain. 5 years is a short period, but it differs very significantly from the idea of abolishing copyright.