Offical Statement

On October 8, 2025, Daryo.uz published an article titled “Translator of ‘Bygone Days’ Mark Reese: ‘Studying without paying is theft.’”
In response to the opinions expressed in that publication, the Uzbekistan State World Languages University issues the following official statement.

Dear Mr. Mark Reese,
On behalf of the Uzbekistan State World Languages University, we wish to express our sincere respect for your views and comments.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to you for your high-quality English translation of Abdullah Qodiriy’s novel “Bygone Days” and your tremendous contribution to promoting Uzbek literature on the international stage. Your work serves as a valuable resource for our students and faculty, playing an important role in developing translation skills.

We fully support your position on the protection of intellectual property and strictly adhere to international standards — namely, the Berne Convention and the principles of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The book in question was personally presented to the university rector by you and was later transferred to the university’s Information Resource Center for educational use by students. Currently, one physical copy of the book is kept in the library and is used solely for academic purposes — in translation practice, comparative literature studies, and English language instruction.

According to the Order No. 225 of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, dated July 13, 2022, electronic bibliographic records of academic and scientific publications of all universities are to be included on the Unilibrary.uz platform.
Within this process, only bibliographic information about the work was added — not the full text or electronic copy.

Once it became clear that author permission was required, this bibliographic record was removed from the system, and access to the electronic version of the work is no longer available.

Unilibrary.uz is a unified state platform that connects information-resource centers of more than 110 higher education institutions. All materials uploaded there are intended solely for informational purposes. The platform conducts no commercial activity, and protection of copyright remains its top priority.

Uzbekistan State World Languages University takes your concerns seriously and sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience caused. This situation should not be interpreted as a violation of copyright or negligence toward intellectual property.

We are open to dialogue and cooperation to resolve the issue transparently. If you have any additional information, documents, or evidence (for example, regarding distributed materials), please share them — this will help speed up the process.

You can contact us at info@uzswlu.uz or by phone at +998 71 232-13-21.
The University deeply values your creative work and your efforts to promote Uzbek literature to the world.

Uzbek literature and its devoted promoters are of great importance to us. We look forward to continuing our relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and cooperation.

Uzbekistan State World Languages University