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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of uploading nude segments from protected movies and TV series on the online site Reddit.

Based on a police document reviewed by BBC News, the anonymous individual shared 347 clips of nude content in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Legal analysts say the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the performers' "moral rights".

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

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

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

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

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

One actress, one of the performers whose nude content were shared in the group, explained to local broadcasters at the period she felt there was a distinction between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the posts constituted "exploitation".

'An important signal'

The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded culpable to the charges last month.

In a comment after the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "that violations of creators' rights have repercussions".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in the country for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their standing.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar told BBC News the case was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

The extent to which the ruling could influence nations abroad is uncertain.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the future with the advancement of AI, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be tempered with much more easily".