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

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

The country's police confirm he has been given a seven-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts say the man was charged under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult clips featuring over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to ask for clips of particular performers.

In last year, campaigners filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, directors and producers, which led to the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose nude content were shared in the group, explained to Danish broadcasters at the period she felt there was a distinction between being seen naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important message'

The man was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges recently.

In a comment after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "that infringements of creators' rights has repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unique in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's work cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the case was "unusual" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could influence other countries is unclear.

But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be tempered with with greater ease".