US begins court battle against publishing giants’ merger

By MARCY GORDON and HILLEL ITALIE
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government and publishing titan Penguin Random House have exchanged opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial. The government wants to block the biggest U.S. book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster. The trial that began 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, author Stephen King, whose works are published by Simon & Schuster, is expected to testify at Tuesday’s session of the weekslong trial.