🔗 Share this article

A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit segments from copyrighted films and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed man shared 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish police state he has been given a 7-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge finding that by removing the footage out of their original context, the accused had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected digital content.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request excerpts of particular performers.

In 2023, campaigners reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose explicit scenes were shared in the group, explained to local 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 amounted to "exploitation".

'A significant signal'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations last month.

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

The verdict is viewed as unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the legal matter was "unusual" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the case could influence other countries is uncertain.

But she said there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".