Barring any surprises, the final settlement agreed to by Macmillan with the U.S. Department of Justice to settle alleged price-fixing charges will be in place by early July.
In an order signed yesterday by the court, the publisher was given the schedule for its Tunney Act review: Public comments are due by May 30; The DoJ then has until June 13 to move for approval. Parties wishing to respond to the DoJ motion have until June 27; and the DoJ reply is due by July 8.
Macmillan's will be the last of the settlements agreed to by the five publishers accused by the DoJ to go into effect. Three publishers had their settlement approved last September, while the public comment period for Penguin, will end shortly, on or around March 5. Under that court-ordered schedule, Penguin’s settlement will be likely be approved by than mid-May. Penguin, however, is the only publisher that has not yet settled price-fixing claims with the states, or the consumer class action.
