US begins court battle against publishing giants’ merger

By MARCY GORDON
AP Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government and publishing titan Penguin Random House are set to exchange opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial. The U.S. wants to block the biggest U.S. book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster. The trial beginning Monday in Washington is a key test of the Biden administration’s antitrust policy. The Justice Department has sued to block the $2.2 billion merger, which would reduce the Big Five U.S. publishers to four. The government’s star witness will be author Stephen King, whose works are published by Simon & Schuster. The two New York-based publishers boast blockbuster authors including Barack and Michelle Obama at Penguin Random House and Hillary Clinton at Simon & Schuster.