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A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of uploading nude segments from protected films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

According to a police document obtained by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish police state he has been given a seven-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used clause in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips featuring over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were prompted to request excerpts of specific performers.

In last year, advocates filed the incident to the police on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the time she believed there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'A significant signal'

The man was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations last month.

In a comment after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of creators' entitlements has consequences".

The verdict 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 violates their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

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

But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".