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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of sharing nude segments from copyrighted movies and TV series on the online site Reddit.

Based on a police report reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been given a 7-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts say the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

He has also been convicted of sharing more than 25 terabytes of protected digital content.

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

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

Per the Denmark's copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request excerpts of specific performers.

In 2023, campaigners filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.

One actress, one of the performers whose nude content were circulated in the community, explained to Danish media at the time she felt there was a difference between being seen naked in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations recently.

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader said the decision sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of artists' entitlements has consequences".

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its use of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a way which violates their reputation.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" 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 nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".