Danish man receives suspended prison term for distributing nude film clips on Reddit

A Danish man has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit segments from protected movies and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement document obtained by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police state he has been handed a seven-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the court ruling that by removing the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult clips including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, campaigners filed the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, filmmakers and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, among the actresses whose explicit content were shared in the community, explained to Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a distinction between being seen naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The man was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations recently.

In a comment following the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the decision sent an "important" signal "indicating violations of creators' entitlements has consequences".

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be used in a manner which violates their reputation.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

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

But she said there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be tempered with with greater ease".