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A Danish man has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from protected films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

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

The country's police confirm he has been given a seven-month suspended jail term for violating copyright laws.

Experts say the man was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the man had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

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

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult clips including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, campaigners reported the case to the police on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the forum being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude content were circulated in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads constituted "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges recently.

In a comment following the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating violations of artists' rights has consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the case could affect other countries is uncertain.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's creative output might be compromised with greater ease".