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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit segments from copyrighted movies and TV series on the social media platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed individual shared 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish police state he has been given a seven-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Experts say the man was charged under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish copyright law, with the court finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had damaged the artists' "moral rights".

He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 TB of protected data.

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

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request excerpts of particular actors.

In 2023, campaigners filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and producers, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the actresses whose nude content were circulated in the community, explained to Danish media at the time she felt there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "exploitation".

'A significant signal'

The man was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges last month.

In a comment after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" signal "indicating violations of creators' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar informed the media the legal matter was "unusual" for its focus on the harm to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she said there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's creative output might be compromised much more easily".