EASTERN BOOK COMPANY vs D.B.MODAK

The Supreme Court ruled that the compilation and presentation of judicial decisions in the form of law reports, such as 'Supreme Court Cases' (SCC), constitutes an original literary work under Section 13 of the Copyright Act, 1957. The Court held that the appellants, Eastern Book Company and EBC Publishing Pvt. Ltd., possess exclusive rights to reproduce their published judgments, as per Section 14 of the Act. The judgment emphasized the need for skill and labor in preparing headnotes and formatting, affirming the copyright protection for such compilations against unauthorized reproduction.