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  Seditious libel was a criminal offense under English common law.[1] Sedition is the offense of speaking seditious words with seditious intent: if the statement is in writing or some other permanent form it is seditious libel. A statement is seditious if it "brings into hatred or contempt" the Queen or her heirs, or the government and constitution, or either House of Parliament, or the administration of justice, or if it incites people to attempt to change any matter of Church or State established by law (except by lawful means), or if it promotes discontent among or hostility between British subjects. A person is only guilty of the offense if they intend any of the above outcomes. Proving that the statement is true is not a defense. It is punishable with life imprisonment.

The American scholar, Leonard W. Levy, argues that seditious libel "has always been an accordion-like concept, expandable or contractible at the whim of judges."[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seditious_libel