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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading nude segments from protected films and television shows on the online site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report obtained by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 clips of nude content in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

Danish authorities state he has been given a seven-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.

Experts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "ethical entitlements".

He has additionally been found guilty of distributing more than 25 terabytes of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Denmark's copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and users were prompted to request excerpts of specific performers.

In last year, advocates filed the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, one of the performers whose explicit content were circulated in the community, told Danish broadcasters at the time she believed there was a difference between appearing unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was detained in fall 2024 and admitted culpable to the charges last month.

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "significant" signal "indicating infringements of creators' entitlements has consequences".

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

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar informed BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its emphasis on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

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

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the coming years with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of one's work might be compromised much more easily".