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A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of sharing nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish authorities state he has been handed a seven-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts explain the man was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the performers' "moral rights".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request excerpts of specific actors.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the performers whose explicit content were shared in the group, told Danish media at the time she felt there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges last month.

In a comment after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the decision sent an "significant" signal "that infringements of artists' entitlements has consequences".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in the country for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is unclear.

But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".