About this website: This website is not run by the Missionary Church of Kopimism. The domain kopimistsamfundet.se has changed owners, and the site is now maintained by an independent editorial team that describes the church and Kopimism. According to Kammarkollegiet, the church is still a registered religious community (October 2026), but we do not know how active it is today. This site cannot accept members and does not offer pastoral care or confession.
The Missionary Church of Kopimism
The Missionary Church of Kopimism (Det Missionerande Kopimistsamfundet) was founded in Uppsala, Sweden, in the autumn of 2010 by Isak Gerson and Gustav Nipe. After several applications, it was registered as a religious community by the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet), and the registration was announced in January 2012. The news received worldwide attention. At the time, the church had a few thousand members.
The name comes from kopimi (”copy me”), a symbol people put on their websites to show that they welcome copying. The church’s symbol is a pyramid with the letter K, and the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V were considered sacred. A more detailed history, in Swedish, is available on the history page.
The church’s own text
The church’s own text, as it was published on this website. The editorial team has corrected the English but has not changed the message.
Welcome to the Missionary Church of Kopimism
The Swedish Instrument of Government, Chapter 2, Article 1, guarantees every citizen freedom of religion: the freedom to practise their religion, alone or together with others.
A religion is a belief system with rituals.
The Missionary Church of Kopimism is a religious community based in Sweden whose members believe that copying and sharing information is the best and most beautiful thing there is. Having your information copied is a token of appreciation: it means someone thinks you have done something good.
- All knowledge to all
- The search for knowledge is sacred
- The circulation of knowledge is sacred
- The act of copying is sacred
All people should have access to all information that is produced: an enormous boost of knowledge for humanity.
Throughout history, groups around the world have been persecuted by oppressors, and many have sought refuge in religion in the hope of living in peace, free from threats and harassment.
In our belief, communication is sacred and must be respected. Monitoring and eavesdropping on people is a sin.
Absolute secrecy is holy in the Church of Kopimism. In individual pastoral care and confession with Kopimist priests (the Ops), the priests are bound by an absolute duty of confidentiality under Swedish law.
The religion of copyright is our absolute opposite: an ongoing obstruction of copying.
We challenge all believers in copyright. Many of them have great political influence and derive their power from limiting people’s lives and freedom. Above all, they want to limit knowledge. We must prepare ourselves for their hatred and aggression.
- Copy, download, upload!
- All knowledge to all!
- Information technology must not be fettered by laws.
Sources
- File-sharing recognized as a religion in Sweden, The Local, 5 January 2012
- Missionary Church of Kopimism, Wikipedia