An Act of the Scottish Parliament to amend the law of defamation; replace the common law delicts of verbal injury with delicts of malicious publication; and for connected purposes, which makes provision in relation to actionability of defamatory statements and restrictions on bringing proceedings, defences, absolute and qualified privilege, offers to make amends, jurisdiction, and the removal of the presumption that defamation proceedings are to be tried by jury. The Act also makes provision to replace common law verbal injuries with three new statutory delicts relating to malicious publication.
