---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Libel law was developed to protect the…"
description: "\"Libel law was developed to protect the reputations of individuals, not corporations.\" — Simon Singh"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/simon-singh-12419_corporations_libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-r_1801953.jpg"
---

#  Libel law was developed to protect the reputations of…

![“Libel law was developed to protect the reputations of individuals, not corporations.” quote by Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/simon-singh-12419_corporations_libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-r_1801953.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/simon-singh-12419_corporations_libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-r_1801953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/simon-singh-12419_corporations_libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-r_1801953.jpg)

> “Libel law was developed to protect the reputations of individuals, not corporations.”

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Libel laws aim to protect individuals' reputations, not corporate entities.

**In simple terms:** Libel protects people, not companies.

Key Takeaway

Advocate for personal reputation rights.

Themes

law reputation media

Mood

critical informative

Type

legal analytical

When to use this quote

- journalism
- corporate PR
- legal cases

Key Concepts

individual rights defamation

Questions to Reflect On

- Should corporations have similar protections?
- How does this affect corporate accountability?

A Different Perspective

Corporations may have influence over legal outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Libel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/libel/)

## Related quotes

> [When I attended a forum on libel reform at the British Academy in 2011, 20 figures ranging from law professors to leading libel law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/when-i-attended-a-forum-on-libel-reform-at-the-british-academy-in/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Many of the worst cases that triggered the campaign for libel reform involved corporations suing critics, so these particular sections of the bill are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/many-of-the-worst-cases-that-triggered-the-campaign-for-libel-reform/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Given the state of libel law, whenever a public figure gets to face a jury, it is a victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lubell/given-the-state-of-libel-law-whenever-a-public-figure-gets-to-face-a/)

Jonathan Lubell

> [“Brandolini's law, developed in the context of twenty-first social media, is equally applicable to 1920s Klan-speak: 'The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-gordon/brandolini-s-law-developed-in-the-context-of-twenty-first-social/)

[Linda Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-gordon/)

> [“It must have been law that developed in man the sense of just and unjust, right and wrong. Our readers may judge of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kropotkin/it-must-have-been-law-that-developed-in-man-the-sense-of-just-and/)

[Peter Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kropotkin/)

> [People back down because the libel system is so utterly hostile to journalists, bloggers, scientists. The smart thing is not to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/people-back-down-because-the-libel-system-is-so-utterly-hostile-to/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [If someone feels they're being maliciously treated, then they should sue for libel. And if someone is malicious, if they are reckless, they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/if-someone-feels-they-re-being-maliciously-treated-then-they-should/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Nobody wants to get rid of the libel laws, but we want them to be fairer. If we drove down the costs you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/nobody-wants-to-get-rid-of-the-libel-laws-but-we-want-them-to-be/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Titles are tinsel, power a corrupter, glorya bubble, and excessive wealth a libel on its possessor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/titles-are-tinsel-power-a-corrupter-glorya-bubble-and-excessive/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

> [“Majority of people prefer a good name to a bad name, but to me, anyone can call me anything, as long as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/majority-of-people-prefer-a-good-name-to-a-bad-name-but-to-me-anyone/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [“Sometimes the Church patently tried to profit from such incidents: the Benedictine monks of Norwich Cathedral in England, encouraged by their bishop, were pioneers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diarmaid-macculloch/sometimes-the-church-patently-tried-to-profit-from-such-incidents-the/)

[Diarmaid MacCulloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diarmaid-macculloch/)

> [I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ; I therefore hatethe corrupt, slaveholding, women-whipping, cradle-plundering, partial, and hypocritical Christianity of this land.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-love-the-pure-peaceable-and-impartial-christianity-of-christ-i/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/to-call-woman-the-weaker-sex-is-a-libel-it-is-man-s-injustice-to/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [It is a lamentable observation that because of the way our laws are skewed toward the plaintiff, London has become the libel capital of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-is-a-lamentable-observation-that-because-of-the-way-our-laws-are/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“Slander does to a soul what cancer does to a cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/slander-does-to-a-soul-what-cancer-does-to-a-cell/)

[Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/)

## More by Simon Singh

> [All I am saying is that if you want to answer a question, then we need to examine and weigh up the evidence. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/all-i-am-saying-is-that-if-you-want-to-answer-a-question-then-we-need/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [One of the common responses to criticism of psychics is to suggest that even if their powers are illusory, there is no harm done.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/one-of-the-common-responses-to-criticism-of-psychics-is-to-suggest/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Scientists aren't necessarily good communicators, because they aren't trained to be good communicators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/scientists-aren-t-necessarily-good-communicators-because-they-aren-t/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Many of the worst cases that triggered the campaign for libel reform involved corporations suing critics, so these particular sections of the bill are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/many-of-the-worst-cases-that-triggered-the-campaign-for-libel-reform/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [The only consolation is that homeopathy can only be practised on animals by a fully trained vet or under the supervision of one, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/the-only-consolation-is-that-homeopathy-can-only-be-practised-on/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [“Pascal was even convinced that he could use his theories to justify a belief in God. He stated that ‘the excitement that a gambler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/pascal-was-even-convinced-that-he-could-use-his-theories-to-justify-a/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [When I attended a forum on libel reform at the British Academy in 2011, 20 figures ranging from law professors to leading libel law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/when-i-attended-a-forum-on-libel-reform-at-the-british-academy-in/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [People back down because the libel system is so utterly hostile to journalists, bloggers, scientists. The smart thing is not to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/people-back-down-because-the-libel-system-is-so-utterly-hostile-to/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [When I was finishing my PhD, I could just see people who were a bit quicker and brighter and smarter than me and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/when-i-was-finishing-my-phd-i-could-just-see-people-who-were-a-bit/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [In my case, I estimate that the members of the British Chiropractic Association have an annual turnover of £100m, and the BCA decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/in-my-case-i-estimate-that-the-members-of-the-british-chiropractic/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Part of the problem is that if anybody has a gut reaction about an issue, they can go online and have it backed up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/part-of-the-problem-is-that-if-anybody-has-a-gut-reaction-about-an/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [Sunspots are hubs of intense magnetic activity and they trigger solar flares that launch charged particles, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation and radio waves at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/sunspots-are-hubs-of-intense-magnetic-activity-and-they-trigger-solar/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [“In April 1977, Rivest, Shamir and Adleman spent Passover at the house of a student, and had consumed significant amounts of Manischewitz wine before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/in-april-1977-rivest-shamir-and-adleman-spent-passover-at-the-house/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [The worlds of maths and science have a long history of naming important objects after people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/the-worlds-of-maths-and-science-have-a-long-history-of-naming/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

> [What shocks me is people who have no expertise championing a view that runs counter to the mainstream scientific consensus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/what-shocks-me-is-people-who-have-no-expertise-championing-a-view/)

[Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

[Explore all 55 Simon Singh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/)

## More Corporations quotes

> [It makes no sense to talk of the social obligations of the corporation without reference to its economic obligations. The two are intertwined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-r-raymond/it-makes-no-sense-to-talk-of-the-social-obligations-of-the/)

[Lee R. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-r-raymond/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Everything affects hip-hop. The question is, how does it affect the money that corporations are going to invest to put out different kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/everything-affects-hip-hop-the-question-is-how-does-it-affect-the/)

[will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/)

> [Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/corporations-have-nothing-to-do-with-values-and-they-know-it-and/)

[Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/)

> [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/)

[Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/)

> [“Whatever happened in those more than one hundred years, from the time my great-great-great grandfather studied law to the time when my own father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwenn-wright/whatever-happened-in-those-more-than-one-hundred-years-from-the-time/)

[Gwenn Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwenn-wright/)

> [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [There are questions as to whether it should even exist. Who should corporations be responsive to, the management of a corporation? Theoretically they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-questions-as-to-whether-it-should-even-exist-who-should/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [“Subsequently there ensues an epoch of complex, proliferating intrigues and conspiracies among the ranks of double agents, whose agendas become so densely intertwined that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/subsequently-there-ensues-an-epoch-of-complex-proliferating-intrigues/)

[Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/)

> [I'm not only a fan of Apple products, I have stock in the company. I think Steve Jobs has started one of the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-m-not-only-a-fan-of-apple-products-i-have-stock-in-the-company-i/)

[Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/)

> [At Epcot Center the Disney corporation has focused its attention on two things greatly in need of Disneyfication: the tedious future and the annoying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/at-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-focused-its-attention-on/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/there-can-be-no-effective-control-of-corporations-while-their/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [Since FDR's New Deal, corporations and wealthy families have been non-stop finding new ways to get tax breaks, deregulation and entitlements from the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/since-fdr-s-new-deal-corporations-and-wealthy-families-have-been-non/)

[Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/)

> [There's a whole journalistic-industrial complex dedicated to keeping newsprint, TV screens and radio waves clean of destabilizing scoops damaging to corporations or the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-s-a-whole-journalistic-industrial-complex-dedicated-to-keeping/)

[Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/)

> [They're counting on your patriotism to distract you from their plunder. They're counting on you to be standing at attention with your hand over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/they-re-counting-on-your-patriotism-to-distract-you-from-their/)

[Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/)

[Browse all 1,673 Corporations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Libel law was developed to protect the reputations of individuals, not corporations.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Simon Singh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-reputations-of-individuals-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Corporations"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-reputations-of-individuals-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/simon-singh-12419_corporations_libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-r_1801953.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/simon-singh-12419_corporations_libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-r_1801953.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d80/simon-singh-12419_corporations_libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-r_1801953.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Libel law was developed to protect the reputations of individuals, not corporations.” — Simon Singh",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Simon Singh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Libel law was developed to protect...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-reputations-of-individuals-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/libel-law-was-developed-to-protect-the-reputations-of-individuals-not/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
