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A Danish citizen has been convicted of uploading nude segments from copyrighted movies and television shows on the social media platform Reddit.

According to a police report obtained by media outlets, the anonymous individual shared 347 clips of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's authorities state he has been given a 7-month deferred jail term for copyright infringement.

Experts say the man was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's intellectual property legislation, with the court ruling that by taking the footage out of their original context, the accused had damaged the artists' "moral rights".

He has also been convicted of sharing more than 25 terabytes of protected data.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Danish copyright protection organization The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request clips of particular actors.

In 2023, advocates filed the incident to the authorities on behalf of the affected actors, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose nude scenes were shared in the group, told local broadcasters at the time she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and admitted guilty to the charges last month.

In a comment after the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "that violations of artists' rights has repercussions".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's creation cannot be used in a way which infringes upon their reputation.

Intellectual property expert Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the legal matter was "unusual" for its emphasis on the damage to the dignity of an performer, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could affect nations abroad is unclear.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the advancement of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of one's work might be compromised much more easily".