Danish man given suspended prison term for sharing nude film clips on the social platform Reddit

A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit segments from copyrighted movies and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed man shared 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish authorities state he has been given a seven-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by removing the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the performers' "moral rights".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were encouraged to ask for excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, advocates 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, among the performers whose nude content were shared in the group, explained to Danish media at the time she felt there was a distinction between being seen naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant signal'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges last month.

In a statement following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" signal "that infringements of creators' entitlements have repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's work cannot be used in a manner which violates their standing.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could affect other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's creative output might be tempered with with greater ease".