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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit segments from copyrighted movies and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

According to a police document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual shared 347 clips of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police confirm he has been handed a 7-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts say the man was charged under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request excerpts of particular actors.

In 2023, campaigners reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the performers whose nude scenes were circulated in the community, told local media at the time she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts amounted to "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges last month.

In a comment after the ruling, TRA head the organization's leader said the decision sent an "significant" signal "indicating violations of artists' entitlements has consequences".

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova told the media the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the case could affect nations abroad is uncertain.

But she said 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 creative output might be compromised with greater ease".