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A Danish man has been convicted of sharing sexually explicit scenes from protected films and television shows on the online site Reddit.

According to a police document obtained by BBC News, the unnamed man shared 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million-plus times.

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

Experts say the man was prosecuted under a seldom-invoked provision in Denmark's copyright law, with the court ruling that by taking the scenes out of their intended setting, the man had harmed the artists' "ethical entitlements".

He has also been found guilty of distributing more than 25 TB of protected data.

From March 2022 to mid-2023, the user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Danish copyright protection group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were prompted to ask for excerpts of particular performers.

In last year, advocates reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted actors, directors and production companies, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose nude scenes were circulated in the community, explained to local broadcasters at the time she believed there was a difference between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the posts amounted to "exploitation".

'An important message'

The man was detained in September 2024 and admitted culpable to the allegations recently.

In a comment following the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" signal "indicating violations of creators' rights has repercussions".

The verdict is viewed as unique in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" clause of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be utilized in a manner which infringes upon their standing.

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

How the ruling could influence nations abroad is unclear.

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