Danish individual given deferred prison term for posting explicit film scenes on the social platform Reddit
A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from protected movies and television shows on the online platform Reddit.
Based on a police document obtained by BBC News, the unnamed man posted 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.
Danish police confirm he has been given a seven-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.
Legal analysts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the man had harmed the performers' "moral rights".
He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.
From March 2022 to May 2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips featuring over 100 actresses.
He shared them in the forum he was a moderator of.
Per the Danish copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to ask for clips of particular actors.
In last year, campaigners reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, directors and production companies, which resulted in the forum being closed down.
Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose explicit content were shared in the community, explained to local media at the time she believed there was a distinction between appearing naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.
The actress said the posts constituted "abuse".
'A significant signal'
The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded culpable to the charges recently.
In a statement after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "that infringements of creators' entitlements have repercussions".
The verdict is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a way which infringes upon their standing.
Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.
How the ruling could influence other countries is uncertain.
But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of one's work might be tempered with much more easily".
