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A Danish man has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit segments from copyrighted movies and TV series on the social media platform Reddit.

According to a police report obtained by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Legal analysts explain the man was charged under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish copyright law, with the court finding that by removing the footage out of their original context, the man had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

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

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "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 copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were encouraged to ask for clips of specific performers.

In 2023, campaigners reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude scenes were circulated in the community, explained to local media at the period she felt there was a difference between appearing naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads constituted "exploitation".

'A significant signal'

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

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating violations of creators' rights have consequences".

The ruling is considered unique in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which states an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their reputation.

Intellectual property expert Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

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

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