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A Danish man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from protected films and TV series on the online site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document obtained by BBC News, the anonymous individual posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

The country's authorities state he has been given a 7-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.

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

He has additionally been found guilty of sharing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

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

In last year, campaigners reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose explicit scenes were circulated in the community, told Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a distinction between appearing naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "exploitation".

'A significant message'

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

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the decision sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of artists' rights has repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unique in the country for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar informed BBC News the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the case could affect other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".