Danish national man receives deferred prison term for sharing nude movie scenes on Reddit
A Danish citizen has been found guilty of sharing nude scenes from protected movies and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.
Based on a police report obtained by media outlets, the anonymous man shared 347 clips of explicit scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.
Danish authorities confirm he has been handed a seven-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.
Experts say the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the court finding that by removing the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".
He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.
From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes including over 100 female performers.
He distributed them in the subreddit he was a moderator of.
According to the Danish anti-piracy organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to ask for excerpts of specific performers.
In last year, campaigners filed the case to the police on behalf of the impacted actors, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.
Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, explained to Danish broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.
The actress said the posts constituted "abuse".
'An important message'
The man was detained in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations recently.
In a comment after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "significant" message "that infringements of artists' entitlements have repercussions".
The ruling is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.
Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova told the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.
How the case could affect nations abroad is unclear.
But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be compromised with greater ease".
