🔗 Share this article

A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the social media platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report obtained by BBC News, the anonymous man shared 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's authorities state he has been handed a 7-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts say the defendant was charged under a rarely-used provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 TB of protected data.

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

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to request excerpts of specific actors.

In 2023, advocates filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and producers, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude content were shared in the community, explained to local media at the period she believed there was a distinction between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant signal'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges last month.

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the outcome sent an "important" signal "indicating infringements of artists' entitlements have repercussions".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in the country for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar told BBC News the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could affect nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the integrity of one's creative output might be tempered with with greater ease".