Danish national individual given suspended sentence for sharing nude movie scenes on Reddit

A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit segments from protected movies and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a police document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous man shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been given a 7-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit 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 (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to ask for excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, campaigners filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

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

The actress said the posts constituted "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges recently.

In a statement following the ruling, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of creators' entitlements has repercussions".

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

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

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

But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".