Sharing what you have with others is a central tenet of many religions, and Sweden is widely considered one of the world's most progressive nations, so it probably comes as no surprise that the Scandinavian country is at the forefront of a new religious movement. What is rather shocking is what the religion wants everyone to share: digital files. The Missionary Church of Kopimism claims that the act of copying files in order to share information is a type of religious experience. In 2012, Sweden finally granted Kopimism founder Isak Gerson's petition to officially recognize Kopimism as a religion. The decision has not been met with widespread approval, as many fear that it will open the door to more digital piracy, but Gerson said the idea is to protect those who wish to legally offer digital knowledge to others, not to steal from artists or inventors. "For the Church of Kopimism, information is holy and copying is a sacrament," he said in a statement. "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."
Modern-day piracy:
- It is estimated that approximately 40 percent of the software on personal computers has been illegally copied.
- On average, it takes less than two weeks for a movie to appear online -- often illegally -- after being released in an American cinema.
- According to surveys, 70 percent of internet users do not view illegal copying to be wrong.