Danish national individual given deferred prison term for posting nude movie clips on the social platform Reddit
A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of sharing sexually explicit segments from copyrighted movies and TV series on the social media site Reddit.
Based on a law enforcement document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous man shared 347 clips of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.
Danish police confirm he has been handed a seven-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.
Legal analysts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".
He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 TB of protected data.
From spring 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit scenes including over 100 actresses.
He distributed them in the subreddit he was a administrator of.
According to the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to request clips of specific performers.
In last year, campaigners filed the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.
One actress, one of the performers whose nude content were shared in the community, told Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a difference between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.
The actress stated the uploads amounted to "abuse".
'A significant signal'
The man was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges last month.
In a statement following the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the decision sent an "important" message "that violations of creators' rights has consequences".
The ruling is considered unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's creation cannot be used in a way which violates their reputation.
Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.
The extent to which the case could affect other countries is unclear.
But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of an individual's creative output might be tempered with with greater ease".
