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

According to a police document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

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

Legal analysts explain the man was charged under a rarely-used provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to request excerpts of specific actors.

In 2023, campaigners reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were shared in the community, told local broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads amounted to "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations recently.

In a statement following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "that violations of artists' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its use of the "moral rights" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an artist's work cannot be utilized in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

How the case could affect nations abroad is unclear.

But she said there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be compromised much more easily".