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

According to a law enforcement document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous individual posted 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 handed a 7-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the man had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of sharing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to request clips of particular performers.

In 2023, advocates filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the performers whose explicit content were circulated in the group, explained to Danish media at the time she believed there was a distinction between being seen naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'An important message'

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

In a comment following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of artists' entitlements has repercussions".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's creation cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could influence other countries is uncertain.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the coming years with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be tempered with with greater ease".