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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted movies and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Legal analysts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the court ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

He has additionally been found guilty of sharing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were prompted to ask for excerpts of specific actors.

In last year, advocates filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, filmmakers and producers, which led to the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were shared in the group, explained to Danish media at the period she felt there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads amounted to "abuse".

'A significant signal'

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

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "significant" message "that infringements of artists' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a way which violates their standing.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar informed the media the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she said 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 creative output might be tempered with much more easily".