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Deregulation Act 2015

Newspaper Libel and Registration Act 1881

890.Paragraph 2 of this Schedule repeals the registration provisions in the Newspaper Libel and Registration Act 1881. The repeals, like the 1881 Act, will form part of the law of England and Wales and Northern Ireland.

891.The 1881 Act introduced a system of registration for newspaper titles that were not registered as companies. The effect of registration is to provide information on the name and address of proprietors of newspaper titles for the purpose of enabling libel suits to be brought against them.

892.Newspapers published by companies registered under the Companies Act 2006 or registered in another EEA state do not need to register under the Act. The overwhelming majority of UK newspapers are run as registered companies, formed and registered under the Companies Act 2006 or incorporated in another EEA state.

893.With the majority of newspapers being registered as companies, and therefore not required to register their details under these provisions, and the increased use of the internet for the dissemination of information, registration no longer serves a purpose. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consulted on whether to repeal the registration provisions of the 1881 Act in January 2012 (“Providing a flexible framework which allows companies to compete and grow: discussion paper”). There was support for doing so.

894.The amendments of the 1881 Act come into force at the end of the period of 2 months beginning with the day on which the Act is passed.

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