Sweden, a country known for harboring piracy advocates, recognized a pro-file-sharing group as an official religion.

The Missionary Church of Kopimism, which believes it's permissible to copy any information, in any form, had pushed to be named as an official religion.The government denied the group's two previous requests, saying its members didn't practice many formal rituals. But, the newly minted church said it does have "a belief system with rituals" and is therefore protected under the Swedish constitution.
The Kopimists' sacred symbols are "Ctrl+C" and "Ctrl+V," standing for the keyboard shortcuts for copy and paste.
The group's acceptance isn't the first time Sweden's government has recognized a piracy group officially. Five years ago, the Swedish Pirate Party was founded to push for copyright and patent reforms, joining a
similar party formed in Germany focused on Internet freedom.

"We confessional Kopimists have not only depended on each other in this struggle, but on everyone who is copying information. To everyone with an internet connection: Keep copying. Maintain hardline Kopimi," said philosophy student Isak Gerson, founder of the religion, to the blog Torrent Freak.
Sweden has 22 recognized religions, with most citizens worshipping as Lutherans.
The Missionary Church of Kopimism has 3,000 members and hopes to grow more through its philosophy of "everything belongs to everyone."
"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," the group says on its website. "What they most of all want [is] to limit the knowledge. We need to steel ourselves for their hatred and aggression."
Raptile Reviewed by Raptile on . Sweden Recognizes File-Sharing as a Religion http://www.mobiledia.com/news/images/122793-1.jpg Sweden, a country known for harboring piracy advocates, recognized a pro-file-sharing group as an official religion. The Missionary Church of Kopimism, which believes it's permissible to copy any information, in any form, had pushed to be named as an official religion.The government denied the group's two previous requests, saying its members didn't practice many formal rituals. But, the newly minted church said it does have "a belief Rating: 5