Sweden is the first country in the world to recognize file sharing, or Kopimism, as a religion. The Swedish government agency Kammarkollegiet registered the Church of Kopimism as a religious organization shortly before Christmas.

“Hopefully this means we can finally practice our faith without threats of repercussions,” Isak Gerson, spiritual leader and founder, wrote in a press release. The Missionary Church of Kopimism have tried to become recognized by the state for over a year, they have links to the pirate movement, and share address with Young Pirates, the Pirate Party’s youth league. It’s been speculated that the Kopimists wanted the recognition in order to have themselves and their servers be left alone by police, but Gerson maintains that is not the case, and that Kopimism is a serious faith.

The church holds CTRL+C and CTRL+V (shortcuts for copy and paste) as sacred symbols, and does not directly promote illegal file sharing, focusing instead on the open distribution of knowledge to all. It was founded by Isak Gerson, a philosophy student.

Thinking about joining? See The Church of Kopimism for more information.

For more info on Kammarkollegiet, see Kammarkollegiet, founded 1539 - Sweden's oldest public authority.