Photo credit to Sasun Bughdaryan.

American translator and scholar Mark Reese has won a copyright infringement case in Uzbekistan after a court ruled that his English translation of a classic Uzbek novel was distributed without authorization.

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 to pay Reese Som20.6 million (US$1,700) in compensation for violating his copyright.

The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit Reese filed in April, seeking damages for the unauthorized use of his intellectual property. The dispute involved his 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 novel widely regarded as a cornerstone of Uzbek literature.

The case began after Reese alerted Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice to the alleged unauthorized distribution of an electronic version of his translation. Following an investigation, authorities found evidence of copyright violations at the university and initiated administrative proceedings against a responsible employee under Article 177¹ of Uzbekistan’s Administrative Responsibility Code.

In an earlier ruling, the employee was fined Som2.06 million (US$170), while the university was ordered to remove the electronic copy of the translation from the Unilibrary platform. Under Uzbek law, copyright holders may seek compensation ranging from 20 to 1,000 times the base calculation amount instead of pursuing direct damages.

The case has attracted attention due to Reese’s long-standing connection with Uzbekistan. The American scholar first arrived in the country as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1990s and later dedicated years to translating Uzbek literary works for international audiences. In 2019, he was awarded the Order of Friendship for his contributions to promoting Uzbek culture abroad.

During subsequent visits, Reese donated signed copies of Bygone Days to universities and government institutions, emphasizing that the books were not to be reproduced or redistributed.

“All parties asked how they could support my work,” Reese said. “I presented a copy and explained that they could purchase more at a steep discount.”

- Asia IP