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A Denmark-based citizen has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected movies and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a law enforcement document obtained by media outlets, the unnamed individual shared 347 video excerpts of explicit scenes in a subreddit he managed, which were then viewed 4.2 million times.

The country's authorities state he has been given a seven-month suspended sentence for violating copyright laws.

Experts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the court finding that by removing the scenes out of their original context, the man had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

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

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit uploaded sexually explicit scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's copyright protection organization the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to ask for clips of particular actors.

In last year, advocates filed the incident to the police on behalf of the impacted artists, directors and production companies, which resulted in the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, among the performers whose explicit scenes were shared in the group, explained to Danish media at the time she believed there was a difference between appearing naked in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important message'

The defendant was detained in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the allegations recently.

In a statement following the verdict, TRA head Maria Fredenslund said the outcome sent an "important" signal "that infringements of creators' entitlements has consequences".

The ruling is considered unprecedented in the country for its use of the "moral rights" clause of the national copyright law, which states an creator's creation cannot be used in a manner which infringes upon their reputation.

Copyright law expert a legal scholar told the media the case was "unusual" for its emphasis on the harm to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

The extent to which the ruling could affect nations abroad is unclear.

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