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 (1914)

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:
1914
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 5
Leaf #:
000208
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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2658 Leland B. Kent, Direct Examination. Q. Did you go to New York with reference to the sale of your exchange? A. After I had made the arrangements, yes, sir. Q. Whom did you see when you went to New York? A. Mr. Kennedy. Q. With whom did you negotiate for the sale of your exchange? A. Mr. Kennedy. Q. Did you voluntarily sell your exchange? A. Yes, sir. Q. What price did you sell it for? A. Well, about thirty thousand dollars, I think. Q. Was that a fair price for your exchange? A. Yes, sir, I might say so. You know I was going to get all I could. Mr. Grosvenor: You would have been willing to take more? The Witness: Yes, sir, and would have taken possibly less, if I could not have gotten any more. By Mr. Kingsley: Q. Were you asked at that time to make any agreement not to go back into the business again? A. No, sir. Q. Were any arrangements made with you to remain with the business for a time to close it up or make some adjustment? A. Not until after I sold it. Q. Did you, as a matter of fact, continue to operate it for some little time afterwards? A. For six months. Q. During the six months you operated the exchange after having sold it to the General .Film Company, were you permitted to use your own judgment in the methods of operating it? A. That was my instruction. Q. Did you lease the films according to your own judgmen? A. Yes, sir. Q. Were any restrictions put upon you in any way? A. None at all. Q. Were you ever interested in any theatre? A. No, sir. Q. Did you become interested in any theatres after selling your rental exchange? A. No, sir. Q. Was there any other independent film exchange operating in your territory at the time you sold? A. Yes, sir.