MOSCOW, October 5 - RAPSI, Sergei Feklyunin. The Supreme Commercial Court remanded for reconsideration a $229.5 million dispute between two publishing houses on Tuesday, the court told the Russian Legal Information Agency (RAPSI).

Terra publishing house sued Astrel, a part of AST publishing company, for allegedly illegal issue of novels written by Alexander Belyayev, a Soviet author of science fiction.

Founded in 1990, AST publishing company is one the largest publishers in Russia. It accounts for 20% of the Russian book market, according to the company's website. AST publishes over 800 new books monthly.

Terra publishing holding was founded in 1989. It comprises Terra publishing house, Terra-Book Club and others.

The court affirmed the lower courts rulings that Astrel illegally published the novels. Meanwhile, it ordered to reconsider the amount of the compensation due.

Terra filed a lawsuit in August 2009. It claimed to own the rights for the popular works by Belyayev, namely Amphibian Man, Professor Dowell's Head, The Air Seller and many more. Meanwhile Astrel said the term of copyright protection expired and it legally published the novels.