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 (1913)

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:
1913
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 1
Leaf #:
00029
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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Petitioner's Evidence. Thereupon HARRY N. MARVIN, the first witness subpoenaed by Petitioner, of lawful age, duly sworn, deposed : Direct examination by Mr. Grosvenor : Q. Mr. Marvin, what is your business? A. I am VicePresident of the Biograph Company. Q. What other position, if any, do you have? A. VicePresident of the Motion Picture Patents Company, and President of the Marvin & Casler Company, Canastota, New York. Q. Who is the President of the Motion Picture Patents Company? A. I am President of it. I beg your pardon, I was Vice-President and I forgot that. Q. What is the business of the Biograph Company? A. It is the production of motion pictures. Q. How long has that company, or its predecessor company been engaged in business? A. Since 1896. Q. Have you since this period been an officer and stockholder of the Biograph Company, or its predecessor? A. I have. Q. How long have you been an officer of the Motion Picture Patents Company? A. Since the organization of the company in December, 1908. Q. And are you a stockholder in that company, that is, the Patents Company? A. There is one share of stock which stands in my name as a qualifying share for directorship. Q. You are also a Director of the company? A. Yes, I am a Director, but I do not own any stock in that company. Q. The Marvin & Casler Company, what is the business of that company? A. They are manufacturers of special and experimental machinery. Q. Projecting machines? A. We have a few machines, projecting machines commercially — we have made some experiments. Q. In 1908, you were the Vice-President of the Biograph Company you say? A. Yes. Q. And that company was engaged in manufacturing motion picture films, and in selling them through the United States generally, was it not? A. Yes. Q. What other manufacturers were there in the United States in the year 1908 of motion picture films? A. The Edison Manufacturing Company, Pathe Freres, Vitagraph