Danish man receives deferred prison term for sharing explicit movie scenes on Reddit

A Denmark-based man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted movies and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document obtained by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a subreddit he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's police state he has been given a seven-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were encouraged to request clips of specific performers.

In 2023, campaigners filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, directors and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, among the actresses whose explicit content were circulated in the group, told local media at the period she believed there was a distinction between being seen naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The man was detained in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations last month.

In a statement following the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "that violations of artists' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's work cannot be utilized in a way which violates their standing.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its focus on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the case could affect nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of one's work might be compromised much more easily".