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A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online site Reddit.

Based on a police report reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous individual posted 347 clips of explicit content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

The country's authorities state he has been given a seven-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts explain the man was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

He has also been convicted of sharing more than 25 terabytes of protected digital content.

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

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request excerpts of specific actors.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose explicit content were shared in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'An important message'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations recently.

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the decision sent an "significant" signal "that violations of artists' entitlements have repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Intellectual property expert a legal scholar informed BBC News the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the case could affect nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be tempered with much more easily".