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

According to a police document reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed man shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been handed a seven-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by removing the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the artists' "moral rights".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request clips of particular actors.

In last year, campaigners filed the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted actors, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose explicit content were circulated in the community, told Danish media at the time she felt there was a difference between appearing naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

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

In a comment after the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of creators' rights has repercussions".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the national copyright law, which states an artist's work cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she said there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's creative output might be compromised much more easily".