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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of uploading nude scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a police report reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual posted 347 clips of nude scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Legal analysts say the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge finding that by removing the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult clips featuring over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to ask for clips of specific actors.

In last year, campaigners filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, directors and producers, which led to the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose nude content were circulated in the community, told local broadcasters at the time she felt there was a distinction between appearing unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant signal'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations last month.

In a statement after the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" message "indicating infringements of creators' rights has consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

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

How the case could affect other countries is unclear.

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