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A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted films and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of nude scenes in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish police confirm he has been given a 7-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the court ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 female performers.

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to ask for clips of particular performers.

In last year, campaigners reported the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the performers whose explicit content were shared in the community, explained to local media at the period she believed there was a difference between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant signal'

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

In a comment after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating infringements of artists' rights have repercussions".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its application of the "moral rights" clause of the national copyright law, which states an artist's work cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar informed the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be tempered with much more easily".