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A Danish man has been found guilty of sharing nude segments from protected films and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

According to a police report reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed man posted 347 clips of explicit scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

The country's police confirm he has been handed a 7-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish copyright law, with the court ruling that by taking the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to ask for excerpts of specific performers.

In last year, advocates filed the case to the police on behalf of the affected actors, directors and producers, which resulted in the forum being closed down.

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

The actress said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'An important message'

The man was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations recently.

In a comment following the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of artists' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in the country for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar told the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be tempered with much more easily".