Danish man receives deferred prison term for sharing nude film scenes on Reddit
A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit segments from copyrighted films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.
Based on a police report obtained by media outlets, the unnamed man shared 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.
Danish police state he has been handed a 7-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.
Legal analysts say the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge finding that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".
He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes 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 forum he was a moderator of.
According to 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 specific performers.
In 2023, advocates filed the case to the police on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the forum being closed down.
Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose explicit scenes were circulated in the community, told Danish media at the time she believed there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.
The performer stated the uploads amounted to "abuse".
'A significant message'
The man was detained in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations recently.
In a comment after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "that infringements of artists' entitlements has repercussions".
The ruling is considered unprecedented in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's work cannot be utilized in a way which violates their reputation.
Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.
The extent to which the ruling could affect other countries is unclear.
But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's creative output might be tempered with with greater ease".
