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

Based on a police document reviewed by media outlets, the unnamed man posted 347 video excerpts of nude content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Legal analysts explain the defendant was charged under a seldom-invoked provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the man had harmed the performers' "moral rights".

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

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

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request clips of specific actors.

In 2023, advocates reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the forum being shut down.

One actress, among the actresses whose explicit scenes were circulated in the community, explained to Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a distinction between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer stated the posts constituted "exploitation".

'An important message'

The defendant was arrested in September 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations last month.

In a statement following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" message "indicating violations of artists' entitlements have consequences".

The ruling is viewed as unprecedented in the country for its application of the "moral rights" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which states an artist's work cannot be utilized in a manner which violates their reputation.

Intellectual property specialist a legal scholar informed the media the case was "rare" for its focus on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the case could influence other countries is unclear.

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