Man Arrested for Sharing Copyright Infringing Nude Scenes Through Reddit

Danish police have arrested a 39-year-old man who shared nude scenes of more than a hundred female actors through Reddit and porn sites. The suspect has been charged with copyright infringement. While posting small clips from movies or TV-shows typically doesn't result in criminal action, taking nude clips out of context is considered a breach of actors' and filmmakers' integrity.

The web is riddled with copyright infringing content, ranging from full-length blockbuster films, through small music samples, to reposted celebrity photos on social media.

Not all of these offenses are equally problematic. Law enforcement authorities may go after the operators of large-scale pirate sites or services, but posting short film clips without permission typically doesn’t lead to trouble.

Sharing Nude Scenes of Reddit

Last year, we reported on a Danish case where a then-anonymous person shared small clips of films online in a subreddit. This type of ‘organized’ copyright infringement is seen as more problematic by rightsholders and in this case, the nature of the clips was all-important too.

Instead of posting random clips, the group was dedicated to nude scenes of Danish female actors. These were taken out of context and posted online, for the group’s more than 6,000 members to enjoy. In addition, the same clips appeared on pornographic websites.

The unauthorized activity was considered a slap in the face by the actresses, many of whom complained to local media. They felt violated by the actions and called on Reddit and the authorities to respond.

Actress Andrea Vagn Jensen, who has had one of her explicit scenes shared online, told DR that there’s a huge difference between appearing naked in a film and being posted on Reddit.

“It’s just abuse. You deliver something for the production and the story, and then you end up being molested that way,” Jensen said.

Police Arrest 39-Year-Old Man

The complaints caught the attention of Rights Alliance, which reported the issue to the police on behalf of the Danish Actors’ Association and the respective rightsholders. While these clips may not directly hurt revenues, copyrights also have moral rights which include the right to integrity, which could come into play here.

Rights Alliance also called on Reddit to take the matter seriously. While many of the problematic clips were already removed at that point, the group urged Reddit to implement upload filters to prevent future trouble. That included banning external URLs.

It’s unclear whether these demands were translated into action by Reddit but the police certainly took the matter seriously. This week, the National Unit for Serious Crime (NSK) announced that a 39-year-old man from Valby had been arrested and charged with copyright infringement.

“The arrested person is suspected of being behind extensive sharing of video clips with nude scenes from Danish feature films and series on various pornographic websites and the social media Reddit,” NSK writes.

The r/SeDetForPlottet subreddit is no longer online today. After the earlier media coverage, the group was made private and eventually shut down but for the suspect, this case is far from over.

Real People

NSK Police Commissioner Anders-Emil Kelbæk is pleased with the arrest. Not just in the interest of rightsholders, but also the actresses who felt abused by the unauthorized activity.

“I am satisfied that we have now been able to make an arrest in this case. Both actors and rights holders have rightly felt offended when nude scenes have suddenly been shared in an entirely different context than the one they were intended for,” Kelbæk says.

Rights Alliance Director Maria Fredenslund is happy with the outcome as well, as it sends a clear message that there are serious consequences for posting short copyright-infringing clips out of context.

“The case here deeply affects the rights holders involved and emphasizes what can be at stake when content is shared without permission and out of context,” Fredenslund notes.

“Any film or television production is created by real people with personal boundaries and artistic visions that are seriously violated by this kind of illegal sharing. Great praise must go to NSK for their effort in investigating the case,” she adds.

The r/SeDetForPlottet group, allegedly operated by the suspect, was inspired by the popular English-language subreddit r/WatchItForThePlot. The latter remains online today and has over 1.4 million subscribers.

r/WatchItForThePlot
 

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