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 #:
00086
Language:
English
Collection:
Government & Law and Early Cinema
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:
May 23, 2024
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64 Circulars to Rental Exchanges. Q. It was the general rule? A. It was common practice Mr. Grosvenor: I offer in evidence this paper, to be marked Petitioner's Exhibit No. 17, which is as follows: Petitioner's Exhibit No. 17. Exchange Bulletin — No. 3. MOTION PICTURE PATENTS COMPANY 80 Fifth Avenue New York City March 20, 1909. ROYALTIES FROM EXHIBITORS. The attention of all licensed Exchanges is called to Ex hibitors' Bulletin No. 3, a copy of which is enclosed with this Bulletin. On and after April 12th licensed Exchanges must not supply service to any exhibitor unless they then have in their possession a duplicate copy of a receipt from the Patents Company for the license fee of the exhibitor for the period ending May 1, 1909. No statement, explanation or excuse on the part of the exhibitor may be accepted by a licensed Exchange as authority for the supply of film to an exhibitor whose duplicate receipt the Exchange does not hold, except the surrender to the Exchange by the exhibitor of the original receipt which must in that case be immediately forwarded to the Patents Company. This exception is made only to guard against the possible loss of receipt in transmission through the mails. If neither the exhibitor nor the Exchange has received a receipt on April 12th, the service must be discontinued on that date. Licensed Exchanges found to supply films to unlicensed exhibition place or places in arrears for license fees will be subject to a fine, or cancellation of license, at the discretion of the Patents Company.