🔗 Share this article

A Danish man has been found guilty of uploading nude segments from copyrighted movies and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

According to a police document reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed man 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 copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had damaged the artists' "moral rights".

He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to ask for excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, advocates filed the incident to the police on behalf of the affected artists, directors and production companies, which led to the forum being closed down.

One actress, one of the performers whose nude scenes were circulated in the community, explained to Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'A significant message'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges last month.

In a statement following the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the outcome sent an "significant" signal "that violations of creators' rights has consequences".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's work cannot be utilized in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she said there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".