Uzbek Court Fines Telegram Channel Administrator for Copyright Infringement

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan received a request to take legal action against the Telegram channel “Tuda-SyudaUZ/Places and Events” over alleged copyright violations.

An official review established that the channel had used the video materials “Top 3 New Year’s Restaurants in Tashkent” and “At This Secret Bazaar” without the permission of their author, E. Omelchuk. The channel administrator, S. Nazarov, published the videos without the copyright holder’s consent, a fact that was documented during the investigation.

Based on these findings, an administrative offense report was drawn up against the violator under Article 177-1 of the Code of Administrative Liability of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which provides for responsibility for violations of copyright and related rights. The case materials were subsequently referred to court.

By a ruling of the Mirzo Ulugbek District Court, the offender was subjected to an administrative penalty in the form of a fine.

Sanctions under Article 177-1 of the Code of the Administrative Liability stipulate fines for individuals ranging from five to fifteen basic calculation units, equivalent to 2.06 million to 6.18 million soums, and for officials from fifteen to thirty basic calculation units, or 6.18 million to 12.36 million soums, with confiscation of counterfeit copies of works, related rights objects, as well as materials and equipment used for their reproduction and distribution.