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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of uploading nude segments from copyrighted movies 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 explicit content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

The country's authorities confirm he has been given a 7-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Danish copyright law, with the court ruling that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

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

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

In 2023, advocates reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, told local media at the period she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The actress said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant message'

The man was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges recently.

In a comment after the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "significant" signal "indicating infringements of creators' rights have consequences".

The verdict is viewed as unique in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova told the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

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

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