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

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

The country's authorities confirm he has been given a seven-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts say the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the court ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of sharing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's anti-piracy organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to ask for clips of particular actors.

In 2023, campaigners reported the case to the police on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and producers, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, explained to local media at the time she felt there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer stated the uploads constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was detained in September 2024 and pleaded culpable to the allegations last month.

In a comment following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" signal "that violations of creators' entitlements has consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the case was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be tempered with much more easily".