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A Danish citizen has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit segments from protected films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of explicit scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police confirm he has been handed a seven-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts say the man was charged under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been convicted of sharing more than 25 TB of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult clips including over 100 actresses.

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

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

In 2023, campaigners reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the performers whose nude content were circulated in the community, told local broadcasters at the time she believed there was a difference between appearing naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

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

In a statement following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "important" signal "that violations of creators' rights has repercussions".

The verdict is considered unique in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's work cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

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

But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of one's work might be tempered with much more easily".