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A Danish man has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected films and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement report reviewed by media outlets, the anonymous individual shared 347 clips of explicit scenes in a Reddit group he managed, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

Danish police confirm he has been handed a 7-month deferred sentence for violating copyright laws.

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

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

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit clips including over 100 female performers.

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

Per the Danish anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his online community had more than 6,000 subscribers and participants were encouraged to ask for clips of specific actors.

In 2023, campaigners reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the impacted artists, filmmakers and producers, which led to the forum being shut down.

Andrea Vagn Jensen, among the performers whose explicit content were circulated in the group, told Danish media at the time she felt there was a distinction between appearing unclothed in a movie and appearing on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "exploitation".

'A significant signal'

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

In a statement after the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the decision sent an "significant" signal "indicating infringements of creators' rights have repercussions".

The verdict is considered unique in the country for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which specifies an creator's creation cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law specialist Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the case could influence nations abroad is unclear.

But she added there may be "more and more of such cases" in the coming years with the growth of AI, where "the sanctity of an individual's work might be compromised with greater ease".