Department of Justice clears Random House-Penguin merger

Random House parent company Bertelsmann and Penguin parent company Pearson announced Thursday that the Department of Justice has approved the proposed merger between Random House and Penguin ”without conditions.”

“We have closed our investigation and took no action,” a DOJ spokeswoman confirmed.

The merger, which remains under review by other antitrust authorities including the European Commission and the Canadian Competition Bureau, would create the world’s largest publisher. According to the announcement sent by Pearson, “Pearson and Bertelsmann continue to expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2013, after all necessary approvals have been received.”

Pearson’s full announcement:

Pearson and Bertelsmann today announce that they have been notified by the U.S. Department of Justice that it has closed its investigation into the proposed merger of Penguin and Random House, without conditions.

The two companies announced their agreement to combine Penguin and Random House in October 2012. The proposed merger is currently under review by the European Commission, the Canadian Competition Bureau and various other antitrust authorities around the world. Pearson and Bertelsmann continue to expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2013, after all necessary approvals have been received.

Following completion, Bertelsmann will own 53% and Pearson 47% of Penguin Random House. It will encompass all of Random House and Penguin Group’s publishing units in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa, as well as Penguin’s operations in China and Random House’s publishers in Spain and Latin America. Pearson and Bertelsmann believe that the combined organisation, the world’s leading consumer publishing company, will have a stronger platform and greater resources to invest in rich content, new digital publishing models and high-growth emerging markets.