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 #:
000260
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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Isaac H. Ruben, Direct Examination. the Star and Lyric Theatres? A. The Lyric Theatre I have operated for about six years. Six years and a half. Q. And the Star? A. The Star Theatre about the same length of time. Q. Are these houses licensed houses? A. Yes, sir. Q. From what rental exchange do you obtain your motion picture service for these two houses? A. General Film Company. Q. What branch? A. The Minneapolis branch. Q. How long have you obtained it from that branch? A. Ever since it has come into existence. Q. Prior to that time, from what exchange did you obtain your service? A. Clark & Rowland of Pittsburgh. Q. That was the Pittsburgh Calcium Light Company? A. Yes, sir; the old Pittsburgh Calcium Light Company. Q. They had an exchange — A. At Pittsburgh. Then they came and opened one up in Des Moines. Q. At the time you were obtaining your motion picture service in the Star and Lyric Theatres from the Pittsburgh Calcium Light Exchange at Des Moines, did you find it possible to advertise a program in advance with the certainty that you would be able to show the program on the date designated? A. No. Q. Well, from the service that you were getting at that time, could you do it? A. Well, it was very uncertain at that time. Q. In what respect was it uncertain, Mr. Ruben? A. Well, we would put in a request thinking that we were going to get it, and occasionally we were disappointed, stating there was a request previous to our putting in ours. Q. After you began to take service for the Star and Lyric Theatres from the General Film Company, did you find it possible to obtain a definite, fixed program, and to announce it in advance? A. Yes. There was a friendly working agreement at the time that they were formed — there were four exhibitors in Des Moines, and they arranged to satisfy us all, and the working agreement that we made at that time was, for one week, one exhibitor was to have the selection, and the following week, another exhibitor was to have the selection, and so on. That is the agreement that we made at the time the General Film Company opened up their branch in Des Moines.