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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted movies and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document obtained by BBC News, the unnamed man posted 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been handed a 7-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts say the man was charged under a rarely-used provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court 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 TB of protected data.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips featuring over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Danish copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to request excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the actresses whose nude scenes were circulated in the community, told local broadcasters at the time she believed there was a difference between being seen naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

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

In a statement following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "important" signal "indicating infringements of creators' rights has repercussions".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's work cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property expert a legal scholar told BBC News the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the case could influence nations abroad is unclear.

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