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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of sharing sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online site Reddit.

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

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

Legal analysts say the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish copyright law, with the judge finding that by removing the footage out of their original context, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 TB of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes including over 100 actresses.

He distributed them in the subreddit he was a moderator of.

Per the Denmark's anti-piracy organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request clips of specific performers.

In 2023, campaigners filed the incident to the police on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, one of the performers whose nude scenes were circulated in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the period she felt there was a difference between appearing naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded culpable to the allegations last month.

In a comment after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance the organization's leader said the outcome sent an "important" signal "indicating violations of creators' rights have repercussions".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's work cannot be used in a way which violates their reputation.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the ruling could affect other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be compromised much more easily".