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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit segments from copyrighted films and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.

According to a police report reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed individual shared 347 clips of explicit content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police confirm he has been handed a 7-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge finding that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult clips including over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to request excerpts of particular actors.

In last year, campaigners reported the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, among the performers whose explicit content were shared in the community, explained to Danish broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between being seen naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The man was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges last month.

In a statement following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of artists' rights have consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a way which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar informed the media the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity 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 these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised much more easily".