‘This must be stopped’: US begins court battle against publishing giants’ merger

The justice department is seeking to block the $2.2bn merger between Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster

The government and publishing titan Penguin Random House exchanged opening salvos in a federal antitrust trial Monday as the US seeks to block the biggest US book publisher from absorbing rival Simon & Schuster. The case will be a pivotal test of the Biden administration's antitrust policy.

The justice department has sued to block the $2.2bn merger, which would reduce the Big Five US publishers to four.