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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a police report obtained by BBC News, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish police state he has been given a seven-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

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

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

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

According to the Danish copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request clips of specific actors.

In 2023, advocates reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which led to the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose nude content were shared in the group, explained to local broadcasters at the time she felt there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important message'

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

In a comment after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "important" message "that violations of artists' entitlements has repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be used in a manner which violates their reputation.

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the case could affect nations abroad is uncertain.

But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".