U.S. Scholar Wins Copyright Case in Uzbekistan Over Unauthorized Distribution of Bygone Days Translation
American translator and scholar Mark Reese has won a copyright infringement case in Uzbekistan after a court ruled that his translated work had been distributed without permission. According to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice, the Uchtepa Interdistrict Court for Civil Cases in Tashkent ordered an employee of the Uzbekistan State World Languages University (UzSWLU) to pay 20.6 million Uzbekistani som (approximately $1,700) in compensation to Reese for violating his copyright. The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by Reese in April seeking damages caused by the unauthorized use of his intellectual property. The dispute centers on Reese’s English translation of O‘tkan Kunlar (Bygone Days), the landmark novel by renowned Uzbek writer Abdulla Qodiriy. Reese spent more than 15 years translating the work, producing the first English-language edition of a book widely considered a cornerstone of Uzbek literature. Earlier, Reese appealed to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice after discovering that an electronic version of his translation was allegedly being distributed without authorization. Following an investigation, officials found evidence of copyright violations at the university. Administrative proceedings were launched against a responsible employee under Article 177¹ of Uzbekistan’s Administrative Responsibility Code. In a previous court decision, the employee was fined 2.06 million som (approximately $170), while the university was ordered to remove the electronic copy of the translated work from the Unilibrary.uz platform. Under Uzbek law, copyright holders may seek compensation ranging from 20 to 1,000 times the base calculation amount instead of claiming direct damages. The case has drawn attention because of Reese’s long-standing ties to Uzbekistan. The American scholar first arrived in the country as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1990s and later devoted years to translating Uzbek literary works for international audiences. In 2019, Uzbekistan awarded Reese the Order of Friendship for his contributions to promoting Uzbek culture abroad. During later visits, he donated signed copies of Bygone Days to universities and state institutions. Speaking previously to The Times of Central Asia, Reese said recipients had been informed that the copies were not to be reproduced or redistributed. “All parties asked how they could support my work,” Reese added. “I presented a copy and explained that they could purchase more at a steep discount.”
