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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading nude segments from protected movies and TV series on the social media platform Reddit.

Based on a police document obtained by BBC News, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

The country's authorities confirm he has been handed a 7-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts explain the man was charged under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge finding that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

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 "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request excerpts of specific actors.

In last year, campaigners reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the performers whose explicit content were shared in the group, explained to Danish media at the period she felt there was a difference between appearing naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations recently.

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

The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's creation cannot be used in a way which violates their reputation.

Intellectual property expert a legal scholar told BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the case could influence nations abroad is unclear.

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