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A Danish citizen has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected films and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

According to a police report obtained by BBC News, the anonymous individual shared 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish police confirm he has been given a seven-month deferred sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts say the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

He has also been convicted of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected digital content.

From March 2022 to May 2023, the man using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded adult scenes including over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request excerpts of specific actors.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected actors, directors and producers, which led to the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the actresses whose nude content were shared in the community, 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 said the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the allegations recently.

In a statement after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "important" message "that infringements of artists' rights have repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unique in the country for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's work cannot be used in a way which violates their standing.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed BBC News the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the ruling could affect other countries is uncertain.

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