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A Danish man has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from protected films and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement document reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish police state he has been handed a 7-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their original context, the accused had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted data.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes 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 (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to ask for clips of particular actors.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, among the actresses whose explicit content were circulated in the community, told local broadcasters at the time she felt there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded culpable to the charges recently.

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating violations of artists' entitlements has repercussions".

The ruling is considered unique in the country for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be used in a way which violates their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could affect other countries is uncertain.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".