ABSTRACT
The topics discussed in this chapter concern the free dissemination of information, taken in its widest sense, and the restrictions which can be of importance to the librarian or information scientist as well as anybody else in the information and media industries. The first, defamation, is an intricate but very interesting subject. It is a matter for the civil courts (if we treat the rare offence of criminal libel logically as a separate matter). Three topics which follow are criminal offences, namely criminal libel, blasphemous libel and obscene libel. Incitement to racial hatred is another criminal matter (it is not the same as racial discrimination). The chapter ends with consideration of breach of confidence in both the private and commercial spheres, and a brief consideration of the impact of human rights legislation.
