Elicited on the stand in PRH ceo Markus Dohle’s antitrust trial testimony was what community members may see as an extension of the previous commitment to treat Simon & Schuster as an external bidder after the merger. Asked by lead DOJ attorney John Read how the policy would apply to one-on-one negotiations — such as situations in which an author wants to move houses from one group to the other — Dohle said, “We’re going to keep that external, too; that’s my understanding.” Pressed on the point by Read regarding direct negotiations and not just competitive bidding situations, such as […]
