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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected films and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a police document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's authorities confirm he has been given a seven-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the court finding that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

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

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were prompted to ask for excerpts of particular actors.

In last year, advocates filed the case to the police on behalf of the affected actors, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose explicit content were shared in the group, explained to Danish broadcasters at the period she felt there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant signal'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations recently.

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of artists' entitlements has repercussions".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in the country for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a way which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar told the media the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

How the case could influence other countries is uncertain.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".