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A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected movies and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a police document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 clips of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Legal analysts explain the defendant was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

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

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request clips of specific actors.

In last year, advocates filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the performers whose nude scenes were circulated in the community, explained to local broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between being seen naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads amounted to "abuse".

'An important message'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations recently.

In a statement following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "important" message "that violations of creators' entitlements have repercussions".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be used in a way which violates their standing.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could affect nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".