🔗 Share this article

A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit segments from copyrighted films and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

According to a police document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous man posted 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Legal analysts say the defendant was charged under a rarely-used clause in Danish copyright law, with the court ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

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

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to ask for clips of particular actors.

In last year, campaigners reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose explicit content were circulated in the community, explained to Danish media at the period she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the posts amounted to "abuse".

'An important signal'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations last month.

In a comment following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "indicating violations of creators' rights has consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's creation cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the case could influence nations abroad 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 with greater ease".