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A Danish man has been convicted of sharing sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a police report reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed man shared 347 clips of nude content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

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

Experts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the man had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to ask for excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, campaigners reported the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude content were shared in the community, explained to Danish media at the period she felt there was a distinction between being seen naked in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The man was detained in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations last month.

In a comment following the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "indicating infringements of creators' entitlements have repercussions".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in the country for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a way which infringes upon their reputation.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar informed BBC News the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the ruling could affect nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be tempered with much more easily".