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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted movies and TV series on the online site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Experts say the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.

From March 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to request excerpts of specific performers.

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

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose nude content were circulated in the community, told Danish media at the time she believed there was a distinction between being seen naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The defendant was detained in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges recently.

In a statement after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" message "indicating infringements of artists' rights has repercussions".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be used in a manner which violates their reputation.

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

How the ruling could affect nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".