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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading nude scenes from protected movies and TV series on the online site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed man posted 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police confirm he has been handed a 7-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted data.

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

He shared them in the subreddit he was a administrator of.

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

In 2023, campaigners filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose explicit scenes were shared in the community, told Danish media at the time she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads amounted to "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations recently.

In a statement following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance the organization's leader said the outcome sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of creators' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar told the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".