Danish individual receives deferred prison term for posting explicit movie clips on Reddit
A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.
Based on a law enforcement document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of nude content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.
The country's authorities confirm he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.
Experts say the defendant was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the judge finding that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".
He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted data.
From March 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.
He shared them in the subreddit he was a administrator of.
Per the Denmark's anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request excerpts of particular performers.
In last year, campaigners reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.
Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the performers whose nude content were circulated in the group, explained to Danish media at the time she felt there was a difference between being seen naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.
The actress stated the uploads constituted "exploitation".
'A significant message'
The man was detained in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations recently.
In a statement following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" signal "indicating infringements of creators' rights have repercussions".
The verdict is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.
Intellectual property expert a legal scholar informed the media the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them economically.
The extent to which the case could affect other countries is uncertain.
But she said there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".
