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 #:
000176
Language:
English
Collection:
Government & Law and Early Cinema
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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1402 H. N. Marvin, Direct Examination. 1 December 21st, 1909, and signed Wilcox & Wilcox, and ask you if you received that letter? A. Yes. Mr. Kingsley: I offer it in evidence. Mr. Grosvenor: Same objection. The paper offered is received in evidence and marked "Defendants' Exhibit No. 83," and is as follows : Defendants' Exhibit No. 83. 2 Letterhead of NOVELTY THEATRE Refined Motion Pictures Santa Maria, California, Dec. 21, 1909 Motion Picture Patents Co. New York In Reply to your question as to our Service Being Satiso factory Will Say We Have Had a great deal of trouble getting WThat We Pay for I took Service With one Company and We Signed up a Contract to Pay f 36.00 Per Week (License included) for Films Not over 4 Weeks Released, and When the Service began they Furnished Stuff that Was any Old age Some as much as 3 Months Old. So after Writing them and trying to get them to Come n p to Contract and getting no Reply We quit them and the exchange We are dealing With now aggreed to furnish 0 Weeks Release they generaly Furnish 8 Weeks Release We Wrote them in Regard to the Matter and their Reply 4 Was What Difference is it to you How old they are So that they Havent allreddy Ben Shown in your town. We told them that it Made quite a Difference to us as there is another Show Runing Here and We Want to keep in the Lead. if We Cant Keep in the Lead We Will Have to try the Independent Exchange So as to get different Service Alls We Have asked them to Send us the Regular Release of Biograph and Sileg Films, and to not Send very many Patha feirs.