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A Danish man has been convicted of sharing sexually explicit scenes from protected movies and television shows on the online platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a subreddit he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

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

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

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

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult clips including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to request clips of specific performers.

In last year, advocates filed the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, among the performers whose nude content were shared in the group, explained to Danish broadcasters at the time she believed there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The actress said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant message'

The man was detained in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges last month.

In a comment after the ruling, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating violations of creators' rights has consequences".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar informed BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its focus 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 added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".