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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading nude scenes from protected films and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been handed a seven-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the man was charged under a rarely-used clause in Danish copyright law, with the court finding that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been convicted of distributing more than 25 TB of protected digital content.

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

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

According to the Danish anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were encouraged to ask for excerpts of specific actors.

In 2023, campaigners reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude scenes were circulated in the group, told local media at the period she felt there was a distinction between being seen naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was detained in fall 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges recently.

In a statement after the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "significant" message "indicating infringements of artists' entitlements has repercussions".

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

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar told BBC News the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

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

But she said there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be compromised with greater ease".