A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of sharing nude segments from copyrighted films and TV series on the social media site Reddit.
Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous man shared 347 clips of explicit scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.
Danish police confirm he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for violating copyright laws.
Legal analysts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the accused had harmed the artists' "moral rights".
He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of protected digital content.
From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult clips including over 100 actresses.
He shared them in the subreddit he was a administrator of.
According to the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to ask for clips of specific actors.
In last year, advocates filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.
Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose explicit scenes were circulated in the group, told Danish media at the period she believed there was a distinction between being seen naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.
The actress stated the uploads constituted "abuse".
'A significant message'
The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges last month.
In a comment after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "that violations of creators' rights has consequences".
The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's work cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.
Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar told the media the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.
The extent to which the ruling could influence other countries is uncertain.
But she said there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".
