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

According to a law enforcement report obtained by BBC News, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Experts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

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

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request clips of particular actors.

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

One actress, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were shared in the community, told local broadcasters at the period she felt there was a difference between being seen naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts constituted "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges last month.

In a comment following the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the decision sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of creators' rights have repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be used in a way which violates their reputation.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar informed BBC News the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the case could affect other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of AI, where "the integrity of one's creative output might be compromised much more easily".