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 #:
000232
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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2082 Edward M. Smith, Direct Examination. Q. Why couldn't you do that? A. They seemed to be unable to furnish it. Q. Did you have any difficulty with respect to keeping your programs clear? A. That was out of the question. We simply could not do it. Q. Did you find it possible to select a program several days in advance and have it delivered to you on the day you desired? A. No, sir. We were fortunate to get the program even without selection. Q. Since you have been taking service from the General Film Company, what has been your experience with respect to obtaining a program, with respect to selecting, or announcing or advertising a program in advance, and having the program on the day set? A. The situation has been very much improved, and during recent years they furnished us a program a week in advance, and very seldom fell short of that program in any way. Q. Do you advertise your program in advance? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you ever make any requests of the General Film Company for modification of the program, or for changes in it, so as to get subjects which you think will be more suitable to your audiences? A. Well, in a way. We ask them to change dates on them sometimes. As we take the entire output of the Detroit office, we can only ask them to change dates. Sometimes, however, we have asked for films which they did not buy. They have gone so far as to send out, either to Toledo or Chicago, and get them for us. Q. Have you found them usually willing to co-operate with you in obtaining a program that is satisfactory? A. Yes, sir. Q. What has been your experience in dealing with licensed and unlicensed exchanges with respect to any competition between licensed and unlicensed producers and exchanges? A. Well, in what way do you mean? I don't exactly get that. Q. Well, is there a competition between the licensed and unlicensed exchanges to get your business? A. Why, yes, sir. And there are other people that are advertising features. Feature people.