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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of uploading nude segments from protected films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report obtained by media outlets, the anonymous individual shared 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

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

Legal analysts explain the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.

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

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to request excerpts of particular performers.

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

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose nude scenes were shared in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the period she believed there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The actress stated the posts constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The defendant was detained in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations last month.

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "significant" signal "indicating infringements of artists' entitlements has consequences".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's work cannot be utilized in a way which violates 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 artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could influence other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be tempered with with greater ease".