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A Danish man has been found guilty of sharing nude segments from copyrighted films and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report obtained by media outlets, the anonymous individual posted 347 video excerpts of nude content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's authorities state he has been given a 7-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.

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

He has also 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 distributed them in the subreddit he was a administrator of.

According to the Denmark's copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to ask for clips of specific performers.

In last year, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected actors, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, one of the performers whose nude scenes were shared in the group, explained to Danish media at the period she felt there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant signal'

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

In a statement after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "important" signal "that infringements of creators' rights have consequences".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which states an creator's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar told BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could influence nations abroad is unclear.

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