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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit segments from protected movies and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual posted 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities state he has been given a seven-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.

Experts say the man was charged under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the performers' "moral rights".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted data.

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

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to ask for excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, campaigners reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose explicit content were circulated in the group, explained to Danish media at the period she believed there was a distinction between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

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

In a comment following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "important" signal "indicating violations of creators' entitlements has consequences".

The verdict is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova told the media the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the ruling could influence other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".