A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected movies and television shows on the online site Reddit.
According to a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of nude scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.
Danish police state he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.
Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had damaged the performers' "moral rights".
He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.
From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit scenes featuring 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, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request clips of specific performers.
In 2023, advocates reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, directors and production companies, which resulted in the forum being closed down.
One actress, among the performers whose nude scenes were shared in the group, told local media at the time she felt there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.
The actress stated the uploads constituted "abuse".
'An important message'
The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges last month.
In a statement after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the decision sent an "important" signal "that violations of artists' entitlements have repercussions".
The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's work cannot be used in a manner which violates their reputation.
Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them economically.
The extent to which the ruling could affect nations abroad is unclear.
But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".
