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A Denmark-based citizen has been found guilty of sharing nude segments from copyrighted movies and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

According to a police document reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed individual posted 347 clips of nude scenes in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish police confirm he has been given a 7-month suspended jail term for copyright infringement.

Legal analysts explain the defendant was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish copyright law, with the judge finding that by removing the scenes out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the performers' "moral rights".

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

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request excerpts of particular actors.

In last year, campaigners filed the case to the police on behalf of the impacted actors, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the subreddit being closed down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose nude content were shared in the community, told local media at the period she felt there was a difference between appearing naked in a movie and being shown on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads constituted "exploitation".

'An important message'

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

In a statement after the verdict, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the decision sent an "important" signal "that violations of artists' entitlements has consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unique in Denmark for its use of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's work cannot be utilized in a way which violates their standing.

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

How the ruling could influence other countries is uncertain.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of such cases" in the coming years with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the sanctity of one's creative output might be compromised much more easily".