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A Danish citizen has been convicted of sharing sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of explicit content in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police state he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts say the defendant was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish copyright law, with the court finding that by taking the footage out of their original context, the man had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

He has additionally been found guilty of sharing more than 25 TB of protected digital content.

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Danish copyright protection group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to ask for clips of specific actors.

In last year, campaigners reported the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the forum being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose explicit scenes were circulated in the group, told local media at the period she believed there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'An important message'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges recently.

In a statement following the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of artists' rights have repercussions".

The verdict is considered unique in the country for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an artist's work cannot be used in a way which violates their reputation.

Copyright law expert Dr Alina Trapova told the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the ruling could influence other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised with greater ease".