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 #:
000240
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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2690 Edwin M. Simons, Direct Examination. Thereupon EDWIN M. SIMONS, the next witness produced by the defendants, of lawful age, being first duly sworn by the Examiner, deposed: Direct examination by Mr. Kingsley: Q. Where do you live? A. Adrian, Michigan. Q. How long have you lived there? A. About eleven years. Q. In what business are you engaged? A. The theatrical business, moving pictures. Q. How many motion picture theatres are you interested in in Adrian? A. At the present time, only one. Q. Have you been interested in other theatres in that town? A. At one time I had control of two. Q. What is the name of the theatre you are now operating? A. The New Family Theatre. Q. What is the seating capacity of the New Family Theatre? A. 328. Q. WThat theatre did you have before you had the New Family Theatre? A. The Family Theatre. Q. What was the seating capacity of the Family Theatre? A. One hundred and fifty-eight. Q. Is the New Family Theatre an enlargement of the Family Theatre? A. No, it is an entirely new theatre. Q. How many motion picture houses are there in Adrian at this time? A. At the present time, four. Q. WTill you give us the names of them, the seating capacities, and state whether they use the licensed or unlicensed service? A. The Star Theatre uses the unlicensed service. Q. What is the seating capacity? A. About one hundred and eighty. I can't tell exactly. The Maple City, one hundred and fifty-six seats. It uses the licensed program, and the Crescent Theatre, one hundred and fifty seats, and it uses the Universal program. Q. And then conies the New Family Theatre? A. Of 328 seats, using the licensed program. Q. How long have you had the New Family Theatre? A. Two years the 17th of this coming March. Q. How long did you operate the Family Theatre before that? A. Just three years.