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A Danish citizen has been convicted of sharing nude scenes from protected movies and TV series on the online site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement document reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities state he has been handed a 7-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the defendant was charged under a rarely-used clause in Denmark's copyright law, with the judge ruling that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been convicted of sharing more than 25 TB of protected data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Denmark's anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were prompted to ask for excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, advocates filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, told local broadcasters at the period she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'A significant message'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges recently.

In a comment after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" message "that violations of creators' entitlements have consequences".

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an artist's work cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

Intellectual property expert a legal scholar told the media the case was "unusual" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could influence other countries is uncertain.

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 one's creative output might be compromised much more easily".