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

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's police confirm he has been handed a seven-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

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

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

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

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request clips of specific actors.

In last year, campaigners filed the case to the police on behalf of the affected actors, directors and producers, which led to the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose explicit scenes were circulated in the community, told local media at the period she believed there was a distinction between being seen naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads constituted "abuse".

'An important message'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations last month.

In a statement following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "significant" message "that violations of creators' entitlements has consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which states an artist's work cannot be used in a manner which violates their reputation.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar told BBC News the legal matter 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 influence nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be tempered with much more easily".