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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected films and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report obtained by BBC News, the unnamed man posted 347 clips of explicit content in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities state he has been given a 7-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.

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

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to ask for excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were circulated in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the period she felt there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant signal'

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

In a statement following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of creators' rights has repercussions".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property expert Dr Alina Trapova told the media the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the case could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be compromised much more easily".