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A Denmark-based man has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit segments from protected movies and television shows on the online site Reddit.

According to a police document obtained by BBC News, the anonymous man shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's police confirm he has been given a 7-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the accused had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

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

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were encouraged to request clips of specific actors.

In last year, campaigners filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and production companies, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose explicit content were shared in the group, told Danish media at the time she felt there was a distinction between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts amounted to "abuse".

'A significant message'

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

In a comment following the verdict, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the decision sent an "significant" message "indicating violations of artists' entitlements have repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its use of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's work cannot be used in a manner which violates their reputation.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the case was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the case could influence other countries is unclear.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be tempered with with greater ease".