Here is a remarkable story, and a perfect example of how new technology may breed new beliefs and moral values, and thereby challenge the law in the books.

Ever since the Internet was created, users of this new technology were empowered  to have a technical ability to send and recieve files to and from other users, by a click of a mouse. Initially people exchanged messages, then they moved to sharing files, some of which may have contained copyrighted materials or subject to other forms of intellectual property rights. Owners of those rights quicly moved to protect their rights, and a complex enhanced international enforcement scheme was created to ensure protection of intellectual property rights all over the globe in the form of the TRIPS agreement, part of the newly created World Trade Organization (WTO). The new rules extended the protection afforded to traditional forms of intellectual property to digital contents, thus globally outlawing illegal file sharing of any such contents.

Meanwhile, file sharing of content subject to intellectual property (IP) protection has not stopped at all, despite increased efforts by the authorities, for the obvious reason that technically it is still possible to share whatever files, and second, because many people simply don't think that they are on the illegal side. As a matter of fact, many of them believe that file sharing is a right, and should not be subject to IP protection as it currently stands in the law books.

Yet others, interestingly, are ready to voluntarily give up their economic rights, which is attached to their works by reason of law and current morality, and rather see their original works be freely shared and disseminated, in exchange for acknowledgment of their moral rights stemming from their works.

Notable among these is Prof. Lessig, who has devised an alternative scheme for protection of IP rights over the Internet, a scheme in which people creating content may voluntarily authorize sharing their content over the internet. In his system, moral rights of the author, for example, are put ahead of his/her economic rights, just the opposite what the law requires.

For example, Interkulti Portal is also using this scheme for any content posted on its pages, see the license at bottom of the page. Accordingly, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 license. Meaning that you are free to share (i.e., copy distribute and transmit) this article, or you may remix it (adapt it) as long as you attribute the article to its source, thereby acknowledging his/her moral right to his/her work of authorship, and as long as you do not make a profit of it in a form of financial or commercial gain.

Another important condition is attached: This license is Share alike, which means that — If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.That is to say, no commercial or financial gain my be drawn from the remixed work.

This all means that if one is planning to make commercial gain out of this article, then he/she are placed under the current system of law, requiring him/her to obtain proper and express license from the author, in exchange for monetary compensation and some moral rights. In essence, he/she must share the profit made by the use of a protected work.

The Lessig scheme does not solve the problem entirely, as many still do not subscribe to the "Creative Commons" type of license, i.e., authorizing free file sharing of protected content for not for profit purposes. Others may have never been exposed to it yet, as for obvious reasons it is not propagated by the mainstream corporate media.

Meanwhile, law enforcement machinery is in full swing worldwide, persecuting the pirates of the digital age. Failing to do so by any state member of the WTO might result in formal legal procedure being instituted against the state by any other state member of the organization. The dispute shall be settled by expert scholars, and failure of the loosing state to comply with any ruling of the dispute settlement panel may result in an authorization for economic sanctions against that state by the injured state up to the amount of economic injury. (see an earlier separate post on this mechanism EU President: EU Needs “Reverse Majority Rule" / A Comment)

So how can one legally protect himself/herself from persecution, and continue to violate the rules?

According to the Swede's, if file sharing is recognized as a religious movement, then the act of sharing illegal content becomes a holy act, protected by the rules on Freedom of Religion!

Viola! Kopism is an official church!

After a year of bureaucratic struggles, the Missionary Church of Kopimism is now an official religion in Sweden, enjoying the constitutional protection of Freedom of Religion.

The Missionary Church of Kopimism is a religious institution founded by people with their roots in the youth wing Ung Pirat of the Swedish Pirate Party; people who believe that copying is not just right, but has a higher purpose in itself.  more at source

"A religion is a belief system with rituals. The missionary kopimistsamfundet is a religious group centered in Sweden who believe that copying and the sharing of information is the best and most beautiful that is. To have your information copied is a token of appreciation, that someone think you have done something good."

According to the press release of the Church of Kopimism, "information is holy and copying is a sacrament. 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."

The site of the Church lists some of the moral values:

* All knowledge to all,and all people should have access to all information produced.
* The search for knowledge is sacred
* The circulation of knowledge is sacred
* The act of copying is sacred.

Isak Gerson,  spiritual leader of the Church of Kopimism, hopes that being recognized by the state of Sweden is "a large step towards the day when we can live out our faith without fear of persecution".

The press release further notes that "the community of kopimi requires no formal membership. You just have to feel a calling to worship what is the holiest of the holiest, information and copy". To do this, they organize kopyactings – religious services – where the kopimists share information with each other through copying and remix. Copy and seed is their slogan.

The question that may ultimately be raised at a potential dispute settlement procedure at the WTO, initiated for example by the United states, is this: what is more sacred: The freedom of religion or the protection of intellectual property rights?

Crudely put, what enjoys priority in the current international system: Spiritual or economic rights? 

More importantly, perhaps, is the question about the potential impact this may have on our culture of sharing.