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 #:
000287
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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Samuel Katz, Direct Examination. 2737 Q. What projecting machines have you used in your * houses? A. The Edison and Motiograph. Q. Does that comprise all that you have used? A. No, I used a Selig. Q. And those three comprise all you have used? A. Yes, those are all that we used. Mr. Grosvenor: No cross examination. SAMUEL KATZ, the next witness produced by the defendants, of lawful age, being first duly sworn by the Examiner, deposes as follows: Direct examination by Mr. Kingsley: Q. Where do you live? A. 624 West 31st Street, Chicago. Q. How long have you been a resident of Chicago? A. 21 years. Q. In what business are you engaged? A. Motion picture business. Exhibiting business. Q. How long have you been a motion picture exhibitor? A. Since 1907. Q. Do you own or operate a theatre? A. I do. Q. Do you own or operate more than one theatre? A. L do. Q. Are you owner or operator? A. I am owner. Q. Will you tell us what theatres you own, and give us their names, and their seating capacities? A. I own the New Illinois Theatre at 3116 Wenfrvvorth Avenue, Chicago, seating 100. I own the Wallace Theatre, 622 West 31st Street, seating 300. Q. How long have you been the owner of these two theatres? A. I have been the owner of the New Illinois since 1 have been in business. The owner of the Wallace about a year and a half. Q. What service are you displaying in the Wallace and New Illinois Theatres? A. Licensed service. Q. Have you always displayed a licensed service in the Wallace Theatre? A. Yes. Q. Have you always displayed a licensed service in the New Illinois Theatre? A. Always, yes.