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A Danish man has been found guilty of sharing sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted movies and TV series on the online platform Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document obtained by BBC News, the unnamed individual shared 347 clips of explicit content in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

Danish police state he has been given a 7-month suspended sentence for copyright infringement.

Experts explain the man was charged under a seldom-invoked clause in Danish intellectual property legislation, with the judge ruling that by taking the scenes out of their original context, the accused had harmed the artists' "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 user known as "KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted adult scenes featuring over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his subreddit had more than 6,000 members and participants were prompted to request excerpts of specific performers.

In last year, advocates reported the case to the authorities on behalf of the affected artists, directors and producers, which resulted in the subreddit being closed down.

One actress, among the actresses whose explicit scenes were circulated in the group, explained to Danish broadcasters at the time she felt there was a difference between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress said the uploads amounted to "exploitation".

'An important signal'

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

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head the organization's leader remarked the decision sent an "important" message "that infringements of artists' rights have repercussions".

The ruling is considered unique in Denmark for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the Danish Copyright Act, which specifies an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a way which violates their reputation.

Intellectual property expert Dr Alina Trapova told BBC News the legal matter was "rare" for its focus on the damage to the dignity of an artist, rather than to them financially.

How the ruling could affect other countries is unclear.

But she added there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the growth of artificial intelligence, where "the integrity of an individual's work might be compromised with greater ease".