Danish national man receives suspended prison term for sharing nude movie scenes on Reddit
A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted movies and TV series on the online site Reddit.
According to a law enforcement document obtained by media outlets, the unnamed man shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.
The country's authorities confirm he has been given a 7-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.
Legal analysts say the man was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the performers' "moral rights".
He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of protected data.
From March 2022 to mid-2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 female performers.
He shared them in the subreddit he was a administrator of.
Per the Denmark's copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to ask for clips of particular actors.
In last year, campaigners reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, directors and production companies, which resulted in the forum being shut down.
One actress, one of the actresses whose nude content were shared in the group, told Danish media at the time she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.
The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".
'An important signal'
The defendant was detained in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges last month.
In a comment following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "indicating infringements of creators' rights has consequences".
The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be used in a manner which violates their standing.
Copyright law expert a legal scholar informed the media the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.
How the case could influence nations abroad is unclear.
But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be tempered with much more easily".
