Danish individual given deferred prison term for sharing nude film scenes on the social platform Reddit

A Denmark-based man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

According to a police document obtained by BBC News, the unnamed man posted 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

The country's police confirm he has been given a seven-month suspended jail term for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the man had harmed the performers' "moral rights".

He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult clips including over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Danish copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to request excerpts of particular performers.

In 2023, campaigners reported the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose nude content were shared in the group, explained to local broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between being seen naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

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

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

The verdict is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

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

How the case could influence nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".