Danish national individual given suspended prison term for posting nude film scenes on Reddit

A Denmark-based man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from protected movies and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a police report reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual posted 347 clips of nude content in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish police state he has been given a 7-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts say the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected digital content.

From March 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

He distributed them in the subreddit he was a moderator of.

Per the Denmark's copyright protection group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to ask for excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the performers whose explicit scenes were shared in the group, told Danish media at the time she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant signal'

The man was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations last month.

In a comment after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of artists' entitlements have repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" clause of the national copyright law, which states an creator's creation cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar told BBC News the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could affect other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised much more easily".