The Justice Department is reportedly getting close to a settlement with Apple and the “big six” publishers. Last month, the government agency brought charges against the iPad maker, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Pearson, Penguin, Macmillan and HarperCollins Publishers, alleging collusion in eBook pricing.

Reuters has more details about the case: “While negotiations are still fluid, the settlement is expected to eliminate Apple’s so-called ‘most favored nation’ status, which had prevented the publishers from selling lower-priced e-books through rival retailers such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) or Barnes & Noble Inc (BKS.N), the people said. The deal could also force a shift, at least temporarily, in pricing control from publishers to retailers, one of the people said.”