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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the social media platform Reddit.

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

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

Experts say the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the man had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

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

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit clips including over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to request clips of particular performers.

In last year, campaigners filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were circulated in the community, told local media at the period she believed there was a distinction between appearing unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'A significant signal'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded culpable to the allegations last month.

In a statement following the ruling, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of creators' rights has consequences".

The verdict is considered unique in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's work cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar told the media the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could influence other countries is uncertain.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".