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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading nude segments from protected films and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed man shared 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's authorities state he has been given a 7-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts say the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge finding that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of sharing more than 25 terabytes of protected digital content.

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Denmark's copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were prompted to request clips of specific performers.

In last year, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the forum being closed down.

One actress, among the performers whose nude content were shared in the community, told Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a difference between being seen naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges recently.

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

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's work cannot be used in a way which violates their reputation.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar told the media the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

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

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