🔗 Share this article

A Danish citizen has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from protected films and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report obtained by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

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

Experts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes including over 100 female performers.

He shared them in the forum he was a administrator of.

According to the Denmark's copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to request excerpts of specific performers.

In last year, campaigners filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose explicit content were circulated in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a distinction between being seen naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

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

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the decision sent an "important" message "that infringements of creators' rights have repercussions".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in the country for its use 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.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar told the media the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the ruling could influence nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".