In the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States of America, petitioner, vs. Motion Picture Patents Company, et al., defendants (1913)

Record Details:

Title:
In the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States of America, petitioner, vs. Motion Picture Patents Company, et al., defendants
Date:
1913
Publisher:
New York, Appeal Printing Co.
Volume:
In the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States of America, petitioner, vs. Motion Picture Patents Company, et al., defendants : record volume 3
Leaf #:
00084
Language:
English
Collection:
Early Cinema and Government & Law
Format:
Periodicals
Contributor:
The Museum of Modern Art Library, New York
Sponsor:
Media History Digital Library
Coordinator:
Media History Digital Library
Description:
These seven volumes contain the testimonies and supporting documents from the U.S. District Court's antitrust lawsuit against the Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC). Formed in 1908, the MPPC (sometimes referred to asœ"the Edison Trust" or just "the Trust") sought to control the American film industry through pooling patents and demanding that producers and exhibitors acquire licenses to those patents. Independent producers and exhibitors, who refused to license the patents, argued that the MPPC was an unlawful monopoly. In 1912 and 1913, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania heard testimonies from both MPPC members, such as Siegmund Lubin, and "Independents" who later became Hollywood moguls, such as William Fox. Ultimately, in 1915, the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which found the MPPC in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and spelled the end for the already weakening MPPC. -- Eric Hoyt, 2012
Date Added:
September 21, 2023
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1310 H. N. Marvin, Direct Examination. original, upon affixing tlie signatures which appear in the original. Mr. Grosvenor: To wit: Motion Picture Patents Company, by H. N. Marvin, Vice-President; attest, William Pelzer, Secretary. And Biograph Company, by J. J. Kennedy, President; H. H. Breunner, Secretary. By Mr. Kingsley: Q. I show you a license agreement dated June 20th, 1913, between Motion Picture Patents Company and George Kleine, executed "Motion Picture Patents Company, by H. N. Marvin, President; attest, George F. Scull, Secretary,'1 and "George Kleine, witness, Fred Hawley," and ask you if that is the original license agreement entered into between the parties on June 20th, 1913? A. It is. Q. And did this supersede the prior agreement made between the Motion Picture Patents Company and George Kleine, dated June 6th, 1912? A. It did. Q. Is this license agreement typical of the other license agreements executed by the licensed manufacturers and importers of motion pictures on June 20th, 1913? A. It is. Q. Did all of the licensed manufacturers and importers of motion pictures sign similar agreements on or about June 20th, 1913? A. They did. Mr. Kingsley: I offer it in evidence. The same is received in evidence and marked "Defendants' Exhibit No. 48," and the same is copied into the record as follows; the original thereof, by consent of counsel, being returned into the custody of Mr. George F. Scull, subject to production if required. Defendants' Exhibit No 48. LICENSE AGREEMENT. Dated June 20, 1913. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS CO. and GEORGE KLEINE. LICENSE AGREEMENT. 1. THIS AGREEMENT, made the 20th day of June,