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A Danish citizen has been convicted of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted movies and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities state he has been handed a 7-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge finding that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the man had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted digital content.

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to request excerpts of specific actors.

In last year, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were circulated in the community, explained to Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a difference between being seen naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The man was arrested in September 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges recently.

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of creators' rights have repercussions".

The verdict is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's work cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

How the case could influence other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".