🔗 Share this article

A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online site Reddit.

According to a police report reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual posted 347 clips of nude content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been handed a 7-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to ask for excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, advocates reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the actresses whose nude content were circulated in the group, explained to local broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress stated the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and pleaded culpable to the allegations last month.

In a comment after the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "important" message "indicating violations of creators' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which states an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property expert a legal scholar told the media the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could affect nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".