Danish national man receives suspended prison term for distributing nude film scenes on the social platform Reddit

A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a police document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of nude content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

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

Experts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted data.

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to ask for clips of particular performers.

In last year, campaigners reported the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the performers whose nude scenes were shared in the community, explained to local broadcasters at the period she felt there was a distinction between appearing naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads amounted to "abuse".

'An important signal'

The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations last month.

In a statement after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating violations of artists' rights has repercussions".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their reputation.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the case could affect other countries is unclear.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised much more easily".