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A Denmark-based man has been convicted of uploading sexually explicit scenes from protected films and TV series on the social media site Reddit.

According to a law enforcement document obtained by BBC News, the anonymous man posted 347 video excerpts of explicit content in a Reddit group he moderated, which were then watched 4.2 million times.

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

Legal analysts explain the man was prosecuted under a rarely-used clause in Danish copyright law, with the judge ruling that by removing the footage out of their intended setting, the accused had harmed the artists' "moral rights".

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

From March 2022 to May 2023, the user using the alias "the pseudonym KlammereFyr" on Reddit posted sexually explicit scenes including over 100 actresses.

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

According to the Denmark's anti-piracy group the Rights Alliance, his subreddit had more than 6,000 subscribers and users were prompted to request clips of specific actors.

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

Andrea Vagn Jensen, one of the actresses whose explicit scenes were circulated in the group, explained to local media at the period she felt there was a distinction between being seen unclothed in a film and appearing on Reddit.

The actress stated the posts constituted "abuse".

'An important signal'

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

In a statement after the ruling, the head of the Rights Alliance Maria Fredenslund remarked the outcome sent an "significant" signal "indicating violations of creators' rights has consequences".

The verdict is considered unprecedented in the country for its application of the "ethical protections" section of the national copyright law, which states an artist's creation cannot be utilized in a way which violates their standing.

Copyright law specialist a legal scholar informed BBC News the case was "rare" for its emphasis on the harm to the integrity of an artist, rather than to them economically.

How the case could affect other countries is unclear.

But she said there may be "an increasing number of these actions" in the future with the advancement of AI, where "the integrity of one's work might be tempered with with greater ease".