Court blocks merger of Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster

WASHINGTON D.C.: A U.S. judge has ruled that the planned $2.2 billion merger of Penguin Random House, the world's largest book publisher, and rival Simon and Schuster cannot go forward.

In a brief order, Judge Florence Pan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said that she found the Justice Department had proven that the merger may substantially result in less competition "in the market for th