Danish national man receives suspended sentence for sharing nude movie scenes on Reddit
A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online site Reddit.
Based on a law enforcement document reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.
Danish authorities state he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.
Experts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their original context, the accused had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".
He has also been found guilty of sharing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.
From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult clips featuring over 100 female performers.
He distributed them in the subreddit he was a administrator of.
Per the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request excerpts of specific actors.
In last year, campaigners reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the subreddit being closed down.
Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the performers whose nude scenes were circulated in the group, told local media at the time she felt there was a distinction between being seen naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.
The performer stated the uploads constituted "abuse".
'A significant message'
The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded culpable to the allegations last month.
In a comment following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" message "that violations of creators' rights have consequences".
The verdict is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's work cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.
Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar told BBC News the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.
How the case could affect other countries is uncertain.
But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".
