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 #:
000236
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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2686 Glenn A. Cross Direct Examination. Q. Is your present theatre a motion picture theatre? A. It is, sir. Q. And was the one which you managed prior to that, a motion picture theatre? A. It was. Q. Do you own and operate more than one motion picture theatre now? A. I do. Q. How many? A. Three. Q. Will you give us the names, and the seating capacity of each? A. Queen Theatre, 216; Rex Theatre, 261; Garden Theatre, nearly 600. Q. What service do you use in the Queen Theatre? A. Universal. Q. What service do you use in the Rex Theatre? A. Universal and licensed. Q. What service do you use in the Garden Theatre? A. Licensed. Q. Do you know how many theatres there are in Battle Creek? A/ You mean exclusive picture theatres? Q. Yes, I mean motion picture houses? A. There are three others besides my own. Q. Can you give us the names of those, their seating capacities, and the kind of service they use? A. Idle Hour, about 150; Dreamland — pardon me, it is now called the People's Theatre, about, nearly 200 ; Majestic, 200. Q. What service does the Idle Hour use? A. Universal. Q. What service does the People's Theatre use? A. They are at present using the Exclusive Licensed Service part of the time, and part of the time outside features. The Majestic is using the Mutual service. Q. For how long a time have you been operating the Garden Theatre? A. About three months. Q. What is the name of the theatre that you operated as the agent for another? A. The Queen Theatre. Q. Is that the same Queen Theatre that you now own? A. Yes, sir. Q. Has the Queen Theatre at any time used licensed service? A. Yes, sir. Q. At what time did you use licensed service in the Queen Theatre? A. We used licensed service in the Queen Theatre from the time I took it. Q. What year was that? A. That was in 1910. Q. Yes. A. I used licensed service up until the Garden Theatre was opened about three months ago.