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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit segments from copyrighted films and TV series on the online site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed individual shared 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been given a seven-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the court finding that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been found guilty of sharing more than 25 TB of protected data.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

He distributed them in the forum he was a administrator of.

Per the Danish anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to request excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, campaigners filed the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and producers, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose nude scenes were circulated in the group, told Danish media at the time she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads amounted to "abuse".

'A significant message'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges recently.

In a statement following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "significant" signal "that violations of artists' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is considered unique in the country for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the case could affect nations abroad is unclear.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".