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 #:
000242
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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2692 Edwin M. Simons, Direct Examination. National Vaudctte Film Exchange, were yon ever able to arrange a program in advance and announce it — A. And not announce it, no. Q. After you began taking service from the General Film Company, was there any change in respect to the possibility of announcing a program with certainty and being able to produce it on the day fixed? A. I think on very few occasions have they ever failed to deliver our program. Q. What is your practice now with respect to announcing, or advertising your program? A. I advertise daily, and on Saturday I announce a program for the week to come. Q. Are you able to deliver that program as announced? A. Yes, sir. Q. Do you ever make requests of the General Film Company for changes in subjects or reels? A. Yes, sir, just last week. Q. Do you find that the General Film Company will co-operate with you in making these changes? A. Yes, sir Q. Do you find that the General Film Company will cooperate with you in endeavoring to arrange the program to your satisfaction? A. If it is possible for them to do so, they are always willing to do it. Q. During the period that you have been in the motion picture exhibiting business have you been familiar with the quality and the merit of the motion pictures produced by the various manufacturers throughout the country? A. I have. Q. Have you paid any attention to the work of the licensed producers of motion pictures writh respect to whether their product has improved or deteriorated in the past few years? A. It has improved. Q. You think it has improved? A. Yes, sir. Q. And during the same period have you been conversant with the prices of the so-called motion picture service? A. Yes, sir, to theatres, I have. Q. How does the price that you are now paying for service compare with the price that you were paying in 1909 and 1910? A. In 1909 and 1910, I was paying thirty five to forty dollars a week.