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A Danish man has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted movies and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report obtained by BBC News, the anonymous individual posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities state he has been handed a 7-month suspended jail term for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts explain the man was charged under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by removing the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the artists' "moral rights".

He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 TB of protected digital content.

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

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

According to the Danish copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to ask for excerpts of particular actors.

In 2023, advocates reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose explicit content were shared in the community, told local media at the time she believed there was a distinction between appearing naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads amounted to "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was detained in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations last month.

In a comment after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the outcome sent an "significant" message "that infringements of artists' rights have consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.

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

The extent to which the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

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