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A Danish citizen has been found guilty of uploading sexually explicit scenes from copyrighted films and television shows on the social media site Reddit.

Based on a police report reviewed by BBC News, the unnamed man shared 347 clips of explicit content in a subreddit he moderated, which were then viewed 4.2 million-plus times.

The country's police confirm he has been handed a seven-month deferred jail term for violating copyright laws.

Experts say the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used provision in Danish copyright law, with the judge finding that by removing the footage out of their original context, the accused had damaged the artists' "ethical entitlements".

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

From spring 2022 to May 2023, the man known as "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit clips including over 100 actresses.

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

Per the Danish copyright protection group The Rights Alliance (TRA), his online community had more than 6,000 members and participants were encouraged to ask for excerpts of specific actors.

In last year, advocates reported the case to the police on behalf of the affected artists, filmmakers and production companies, which led to the subreddit being shut down.

One actress, one of the actresses whose explicit content were circulated in the group, explained to Danish media at the period she believed there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a film and being shown on Reddit.

The performer said the uploads constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

The man was arrested in September 2024 and pleaded guilty to the charges last month.

In a comment following the ruling, TRA head Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "important" signal "that infringements of artists' entitlements has consequences".

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

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

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

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