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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted movies and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

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

The country's police confirm he has been given a seven-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts say the man was charged under a rarely-used provision in Danish copyright law, with the court ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

He has also been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Denmark's copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to ask for clips of particular performers.

In 2023, campaigners filed the incident to the police on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude content were circulated in the group, told local media at the time she felt there was a distinction between appearing naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important message'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations last month.

In a comment after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" signal "indicating violations of creators' entitlements has repercussions".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in the country for its use 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.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar informed the media the case was "unusual" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could influence other countries is unclear.

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