Danish man receives suspended sentence for distributing nude movie scenes on the social platform Reddit
A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading nude scenes from protected films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.
Based on a law enforcement document obtained by media outlets, the anonymous man shared 347 video excerpts of nude content in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.
The country's authorities state he has been given a 7-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.
Legal analysts say the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".
He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted digital content.
From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.
He shared them in the subreddit he was a moderator of.
According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were encouraged to ask for clips of specific performers.
In 2023, advocates filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the subreddit being closed down.
Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, told Danish media at the time she believed there was a difference between being seen naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.
The performer said the uploads amounted to "abuse".
'A significant signal'
The man was detained in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges last month.
In a comment after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "significant" signal "indicating violations of artists' rights has repercussions".
The ruling is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an artist's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their reputation.
Intellectual property 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 financially.
How the ruling could affect nations abroad is unclear.
But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".