On September 3, Denmark’s National Unit for Serious Crime (NSK) arrested a 39-year-old man from Valby and charged him with copyright infringement by sharing this content on the Reddit social media platform. After questioning, the individual was released. No mention of next steps was made by NSK.
Back in May 2023, the Danish TV program Kulturen had disclosed that more than 100 Danish female actors appeared in clips and images from feature films and TV series distributed in a 6,000-member Danish group on Reddit, and that a majority of the clips were shared by the group’s administrator.
Following that reporting, the Danish Rights Alliance posted an opinion that online platforms – such as Reddit – that are being used to distribute unlicensed material should take responsibility for it.
In fact, that case became a lesson co-authored by the Danish Actors’ Association and the Rights Alliance, and launched in early 2024 via the Danish publishing house Glydendal.
About the NSK
Cases investigated and prosecuted by 1,200-employee NSK include organized money laundering, organized tax evasion, gang crime, organized drug crime and digital crime, among others. NSK has its own public prosecutor’s office, from which it conducts the unit’s criminal cases.
NSK also supports the Danish police force with specialized expertise within, among other things, forensics, IT investigation and analysis and intelligence work.
Further reading
39-year-old arrested and charged for systematically sharing nude scenes from Danish films. Press release. September 3, 2024. RettighedsAlliancen (Rights Alliance), Denmark
39-year-old arrested for sharing nude scenes from movies. Press release. September 3, 2024. National Unit for Special Crime, Denmark
Denmark: If an actor’s nude scenes are on Reddit, whose rights are violated? Article. June 5, 2023. by Steven Hawley. Piracy Monitor
Denmark: Case study of nude scenes shared on Reddit helps students learn about copyright. Article. January 19, 2024. by Steven Hawley. Piracy Monitor.
Why it matters
Historically, penalties against convicted pirates in Denmark have been one of – or a combination of – monetary fines, jail terms, and suspended jail sentences.
In 2023, the Rights Alliance took the position that platforms (e.g. Reddit) should take responsibility for rights violations, citing Article 17 of the EU Copyright Directive 2019 and the Danish Copyright Act 2021; which declare that online content sharing platforms are responsible to ensure that user content on the platform is legal.