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A Danish man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

According to a police document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous man shared 347 clips of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

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

Legal analysts say the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the footage out of their original context, the accused had damaged the performers' "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 "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult clips including over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Danish copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request clips of specific performers.

In last year, campaigners reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and producers, which led to the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of 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 naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant signal'

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

In a statement following the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "important" signal "indicating violations of artists' rights has repercussions".

The ruling is considered unique in the country for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's work cannot be utilized in a way which violates their reputation.

Intellectual property expert Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the case was "unusual" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the case could affect nations abroad is uncertain.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be compromised much more easily".