Tue Jan 24, 2012
Last month, the Swedish government recognized The church of Kopimism as an official religion. The central tenet of this church is that the exchange of information is holy. The church has its own constitution, symbols, and even hymns. Worship consists of a digital service in which files are shared. Of course, to avoid litigious persecution, participants in “worship” must encrypt their traffic.
Now, you may have gotten sufficiently caught up in the recent SOPA and PIPA protests to think this is fantastic. Except, it isn’t. A free and open Internet is a noble cause, absolutely. Free = good. But listen: piracy = bad. When does the free and open exchange of information cross over into base thievery? Who knows anymore. The debate over creative ownership and copyright rages on and a complete solution continues to be elusive.
But one thing I do know - The church of Kopimism (Copy+Me+ism - get it?) is a thinly-veiled mockery. Take a look at this video as a Christ-like figure bathed in an eerie blue glow shows us how to perform the sacred Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V cut and paste gestures:
These guys make The Jedi Church and The Church of Scientology seem mildly credible. A pirate’s sanctuary? More like a desperate joke that undermines the whole open movement.