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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit segments from copyrighted films and TV series on the social media platform Reddit.

Based on a police report reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed man posted 347 video excerpts of nude content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts say the defendant was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to ask for excerpts of particular actors.

In 2023, campaigners filed the incident to the police on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose nude content were shared in the group, explained to local broadcasters at the period she felt there was a distinction between appearing naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the posts constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges last month.

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

The ruling is considered unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" clause of the national copyright law, which states an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the case was "unusual" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the case could affect other countries is uncertain.

But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".