On October 8, 2025, the website Daryo.uz published an article titled “Translator of ‘Days Gone By’ Mark Reese: ‘Studying without paying is theft.’”
In connection with the opinions expressed in that article, the Uzbek State University of World Languages (UzSWLU) provides the following official clarification.

Dear Mr. Mark Reese,

On behalf of the Uzbek State University of World Languages, we would like to express our deep respect for your opinions and remarks.
We sincerely appreciate your high-quality English translation of Abdulla Qodiriy’s novel “Days Gone By” and your significant contribution to promoting Uzbek literature on the international stage.
Your work serves as a valuable resource for our students and faculty members, playing an important role in developing their translation skills and literary analysis competencies.

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

The mentioned book was personally presented by you to the university’s rector and later transferred to the Information Resource Center so that students could use it for educational purposes.
Currently, one copy of this book is available in the library and is used exclusively for academic purposes — in courses on translation practice, comparative literature, and English language studies.

According to the Order No. 225 of the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, dated July 13, 2022, all higher education institutions are required to upload bibliographic records of their educational and scientific literature to the Unilibrary.uz platform.
Within this process, only bibliographic information about the work was uploaded — no full text or electronic version has ever been made publicly available.

Once it was determined that author’s permission was required, the bibliographic record was removed from the system, and as of now, there is no access to the electronic version of the book.

Unilibrary.uz is a unified national platform that integrates information resource centers of over 110 higher education institutions in Uzbekistan.
All materials placed there are intended solely for informational purposes; the platform does not conduct any commercial activity, and the protection of copyright is its top priority.

The Uzbek State University of World Languages takes your concerns seriously and offers its sincere apologies for any inconvenience this situation may have caused.
This case should by no means be regarded as a violation of copyright or negligence toward intellectual property.

We remain open to constructive dialogue and cooperation to resolve this issue.
If you have any additional information, documents, or evidence (for example, regarding any distributed materials), please share them to help expedite the review process.

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

Uzbek literature and its devoted advocates hold great significance for us.
We look forward to continuing our relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and collaboration.

Uzbek State University of World Languages