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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the online site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of nude content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police confirm he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted data.

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

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

According to the Danish copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request excerpts of particular performers.

In 2023, advocates reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were shared in the community, explained to Danish broadcasters at the period she believed there was a distinction between appearing unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts amounted to "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was detained in September 2024 and pleaded culpable to the charges recently.

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the outcome sent an "important" signal "that infringements of artists' rights have repercussions".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's work cannot be utilized in a way which violates their standing.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar informed the media the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

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

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".