| Short Title: | Defamation Act 1952[1] |
| Type: | Act |
| Parliament: | Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Long Title: | An Act to amend the law relating to libel and slander and other malicious falsehoods. |
| Year: | 1952 |
| Statute Book Chapter: | 15 & 16 Geo. 6 & 1 Eliz. 2. c. 66 |
| Territorial Extent: | England and Wales and Scotland.[2] |
| Royal Assent: | 30 October 1952 |
| Commencement: | 30 November 1952 |
| Status: | amended |
| Original Text: | http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6and1Eliz2/15-16/66/contents/enacted |
| Revised Text: | http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6and1Eliz2/15-16/66/contents |
The Defamation Act 1952 (15 & 16 Geo. 6 & 1 Eliz. 2. c. 66) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
This Act implemented recommendations contained in the Report[3] of the Porter Committee. The recommendation made by the Committee in relation to the rule in Smith v Streatfield[4] was not implemented.[5]
See Malicious falsehood#England and Wales and Verbal injury.
See English defamation law#Justification
This section was repealed by the Defamation Act 2013.
This section was repealed by Part I of Schedule 6 to the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973.
This section extended to Northern Ireland in addition to the other places to which this Act extended.[6]
This section provided that no limitation on the powers of the Parliament of Northern Ireland imposed by the Government of Ireland Act 1920 precluded that Parliament from making laws for purposes similar to the purposes of this Act.[7]
The Defamation Act (Northern Ireland) 1955 was made for purposes similar to the purposes of this Act.
Section 18(1) provides that the Act came into force at the end of the period of one month that began on the date on which it was passed. The word "months" means calendar months.[8] The day (that is to say, 30 October 1952) on which the Act was passed (that is to say, received royal assent) is included in the period of one month.[9] This means that the Act came into force on 30 November 1952.
The words "(except section fifteen)" in section 18(2) were repealed by Part I of Schedule 6 to the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973. This was consequential on the repeal of section 15 by that Part.
Section 18(3) repealed sections 4 and 6 of the Law of Libel Amendment Act 1888.[10] It was repealed by Part XI of the Schedule to the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1974.