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A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit segments from copyrighted films and television shows on the online site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement document obtained by media outlets, the unnamed man posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's authorities confirm he has been given a seven-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been convicted of sharing more than 25 TB of copyrighted data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Danish copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request excerpts of specific performers.

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

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, explained to Danish media at the time she believed there was a distinction between appearing unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The actress stated the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations last month.

In a comment after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of artists' entitlements has repercussions".

The ruling is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their standing.

Intellectual property specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could influence other countries is uncertain.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of an individual's creative output might be compromised much more easily".