{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/theatres-act-1968/section-4",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/theatres-act-1968/section-4.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/1968/54",
  "legislation_title": "Theatres Act 1968",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/theatres-act-1968",
  "path": "section/4",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "4",
  "heading": "Amendment of law of defamation.",
  "text": "(1) For the purposes of the law of libel and slander ... the publication of words in the course of a performance of a play shall, subject to section 7 of this Act, be treated as publication in permanent form.\n(2) The foregoing subsection shall apply for the purposes of section 3 (slander of title, etc.) of the Defamation Act 1952 as it applies for the purposes of the law of libel and slander.\n(3) In this section “words” includes pictures, visual images, gestures and other methods of signifying meaning.\n(4) This section shall not apply to Scotland.",
  "extent": "E+W+S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Words in s. 4(1) repealed (12.1.2010) by Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (c. 25), s. 182(2)(e)(vii), Sch. 23 Pt. 2 (with s. 180)"
    },
    {
      "type": "M",
      "label": "M1",
      "text": "1952 c. 66."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1968/54/section/4",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:53:06.699904+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}