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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of sharing sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted movies and TV series on the social media platform Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement report obtained by media outlets, the unnamed man shared 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish authorities confirm he has been handed a seven-month suspended jail term for violating copyright laws.

Legal analysts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the man had damaged the performers' "moral rights".

He has also been convicted of distributing more than 25 TB of copyrighted digital content.

From spring 2022 to mid-2023, the man known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit scenes including over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy organization the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were prompted to request excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose nude content were shared in the group, told Danish broadcasters at the period she believed there was a distinction between appearing unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the posts constituted "abuse".

'A significant message'

The defendant was arrested in fall 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges recently.

In a comment following the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance the organization's leader said the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating violations of artists' rights have repercussions".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in Denmark for its use of the "ethical protections" clause of the national copyright law, which specifies an artist's work cannot be used in a way which violates their reputation.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova informed the media the case was "unusual" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the ruling could affect other countries is uncertain.

But she added there may be "more and more of these actions" in the future with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's creative output might be compromised much more easily".