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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of sharing nude segments from protected films and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement document obtained by BBC News, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's authorities confirm he has been handed a 7-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the artists' "moral rights".

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

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit clips featuring over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request clips of specific actors.

In 2023, campaigners filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose nude content were circulated in the group, told local broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant signal'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations recently.

In a statement after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance the organization's leader said the decision sent an "significant" message "that violations of creators' rights has repercussions".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar informed the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the case could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

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